immigrants did not cease. In the ISA there existed a nameless unit, or
one isolated from the others sections and units, whose function was
to obtain information on the Soviet Union and the Communist bloc
by means of questioning new immigrants from Eastern Europe. The
information obtained in this way was important to the State of Israel
as it greatly assisted in establishing intelligence relations with the
United States. The information culled from the new immigrants ar-
riving from the countries of the Communist bloc was passed on to in-
telligence agencies in the United States, which at that time was
locked in the Cold War and needed this information.
Section Fivewas responsible for the security of installations of the
defense system; it was responsible for the Bureau of Scientific Liai-
son. Out of this section developed the Protective Securitybranch and
MALMAB, the unit of the director of security for the Defense Es-
tablishment(DSDE).
There was also the Operations Unit, on whose foundations arose
the Operations Branchof the ISA. From the moment of the creation
of this unit until the present, this branch has been shrouded in the ut-
most secrecy. It is subordinate to, and directly managed by, the
deputy director of the ISA. Because of the silence that surrounds this
branch, hardly anything can be written about it. The Operations Unit
was also responsible for the Technical Services Unit, which supplied
eavesdropping equipment, microcameras, recording devices, invisi-
ble ink, and so forth. In the 1970s the Technical Services Unit was
given the status of a branch, renamed the Technological Branch.
The Interrogations Unitwas from its formation responsible for in-
terrogations conducted by the ISA. In the 1960s the unit was given
the status of a branch and renamed the Interrogations Branch.
Section Eightwas responsible for security of installations, filling
positions of security officers in government ministries, safeguarding
secrets, and checking public figures. Over the years, Section Eight
became the Protective Security Branch. Its duties include securing
important infrastructure and government buildings in Israel and Is-
raeli legations abroad and protecting flights of the Israeli airlines El
Al, Arkia, and Israir. The Protective Security Branch also included
the unit protecting the lives of senior Israeli public figures, ministers,
and the state’s president. This unit received the status of a division af-
ter the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995.130 • ISRAELI SECURITY AGENCY/SHERUTH BITAHON KLALI06-102 (03) H-P.qxd 3/24/06 7:24 AM Page 130