Jerusalem, Israel - Apr. 18, 2024 - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, today (Thursday, 18 April 2024), visited Mossad headquarters where he met with Director David Barnea and – afterwards – with the forum of division heads. They discussed regional developments in the various sectors. The Prime Minister and the Mossad Director also referred to the continuing efforts – and the importance of doing everything possible – to return the hostages back home as soon as possible.
Prime Minister Netanyahu then visited the ISA headquarters where he held working meetings with ISA Director Ronen Bar and – afterwards – met with the senior management forum chaired by Director Bar, his deputy and additional senior officials.
The Prime Minister received a comprehensive briefing of the agency's intensive counter-terrorist activity in the various sectors.
Prime Minister Netanyahu thanked the Mossad and the ISA for their role in defending the security of the state, especially the extensive operational and intelligence activity of the organizations since October 7.
Prime Minister Netanyahu to the Mossad division heads forum [translated from Hebrew]:
"This holiday is different because 'they have risen up to destroy us.' This is very tangible, by the axis of evil of Iran and its proxies, including Hamas.
And on the other hand, 'from slavery to redemption'. This is very tangible when we still have hostages being held in the monsters' dungeons in Gaza.
We are also committed to defeating the terrorist axis in Gaza, to freeing the hostages and to repelling the threat including that from Iran.
These are very major tasks that require two things. The first thing that it requires is determination and the second is unity.
Nations crumble, first of all, from within, not from external pressure, but from internal discord. The internal discord needs to disappear now because we are under existential threat, and in the face of an existential threat we must unite forces and not divide them. This is the most important thing there is.
Great powers in their day, including global powers, fell in the absence of internal cohesion around a unifying idea. The unifying idea here is the return of the Jewish people to its land and the rebuilding of our defensive capability against those who want to destroy us. This is the most central and important idea more than anything else, before than perfecting the world, more than any of the other values that we have.
If we lack the ability to defend ourselves against those who seek our lives, we have nothing, and on this we need to unite now with full force on this Passover and what comes afterward.
Happy holiday!"