ABSTRACT
Any decision maker intending to formulate a counter-terrorism policy must first define the goal behind the war against terrorism — the mission he presents to the security forces and other government bodies taking part in the struggle. In view of the political distinctions between them and their different attitudes towards the threat of terrorism, successive Israeli governments have placed various goals at the root of their counter-terrorism policies. In order to determine the goals underlying counter-terrorism measures, the factors that influence the scope of the terrorism and its nature must first be identified. The very defining of a policy could jeopardize the dynamism needed to adapt the knowledge and experience gained in the counter-terrorism field to changing conditions and to the environment, as well as to the changing nature of terrorism itself. The variable that determines the scope of violent activity and its nature is the organization's operational capability.
