In November 2014, the UNODC Terrorism Prevention Branch (UNODC/TPB) teamed up with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the United Nations Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) to cooperate with Israel in its organization of a counterterrorism-dedicated international event.
The International Conference on Criminal Justice Responses to Terrorism was held in Tel-Aviv on 10-12 November 2014. It brought together senior criminal justice officers and experts in counter-terrorism field from 28 OSCE participating States and partner countries for co-operation (from Central Asia, Middle East, North America, Northern, Eastern and Southern Europe regions), as well as representatives of several key international and regional organizations. The participants examined critical issues and challenges faced by senior judges, prosecutors, investigators and other relevant officials when handling terrorism cases, and discussed and shared good practices and ways forward.
With an aim to contribute to increasing dialogue and co-operation among all OSCE participating States and OSCE Partners for Co-operation, the event focused on a variety of issues, including the use by criminal justice officers of the universal anti-terrorism instruments and United Nations Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs), such as 1373 (2001). In this respect, topics on the agenda included the issue of foreign terrorist fighters and the obligations stemming from the recently-adopted UNSCR 2178 (2014) that generated an interesting discussion among the participants. The investigation and prosecution of terrorism financing and money laundering was also debated in great detail.
The Conference also analysed relevant documents and good practices, such as those developed by the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF), including its "Hague Memorandum". Delegates discussed at length methods of handling classified intelligence derived evidence in the court systems when dealing with cases of terrorism. It emerged that many States faced a similar dilemma of how to convict terrorists within the justice system without jeopardizing its sources.
The outlines of the new Israeli national counterterrorism legislation, currently under discussion in the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, were presented to participants by the experts from the Israeli Ministry of Justice.
This significant event, and a first of its kind for Israel, presented an ideal opportunity for strategic discussions of counterterrorism issues found today at the top of the agenda of many governments throughout the world. Many States in Europe and Middle East are already looking into ways of addressing the implications of the return of their citizens from conflict hotspots, such as Syria and Iraq, but this predicament is also increasingly felt across other OSCE participating States. Thus, by bringing these countries together, the event created an opportunity to initiate a very important dialogue to bridge this gap. Participants concluded by voicing a strong will to continue future counter-terrorism cooperation in this format.