Secret Wires Across the Mediterranean: The Club de Berne,Euro-Israeli Counterterrorism,and Swiss ‘Neutrality’

This article sheds light on a covert counterterrorist deal between the Western European and Israeli security services, which was concluded in 1971 under the auspices of the Swiss government. This security arrangement was held under the framework of the Club de Berne, an informal forum of nine Western security services and their transatlantic and Middle Eastern partners. Based on hitherto unknown source material, the article discusses four main aspects of the Club de Berne: its creation, its background within the Swiss administration (complete lack of democratic oversight, absolute secrecy and neutrality), its threat warning system under the code word Kilowatt and the reasons for the participating countries to choose cooperation within this network. The main argument is that the Club de Berne was a security arrangement beneficial to all parties: it allowed Europeans to protect themselves from Palestinian terrorism without being seen as helping Israel; this secret dimension was also what allowed ‘neutral’ Switzerland to take part in this security framework.     

Mapam in the War of Independence: From the war front to the opposition back benches

The article examines the first year of Mapam's existence, focusing on its role in the War of Independence and on the elections to the Constituent Assembly (the first Knesset), beginning with the election campaign through the negotiations on forming the government and the implications of Mapam's remaining in the opposition. It also discusses two issues that occupied a central place on Mapam's ideological agenda: the question of the “whole Land of Israel” and the attitude toward the Soviet Union. The article's main contentions are that beyond the internal and external arguments and disagreements, in the War of Independence Mapam was first and foremost the loyal soldier of the nation and remained in the opposition against its will.