​(Communicated by the MFA Spokesperson)

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel hosted a successful two-day US Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) workshop April 5-6, 2016 in Haifa, Israel. 

The workshop, a cooperation with the U.S. State Department, was attended by officials from multiple ministries and agencies from both sides and featured a facilitated, interdiction scenario-based table top exercise (TTX) on courses of action for inspecting, identifying, and seizing shipments of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) proliferation concern pursuant to U.S. and Israeli commitments to the PSI Statement of Interdiction Principles. 

The scenarios focused on relevant proliferation threats from nuclear, ballistic missiles and terror elements. The tabletop exercise included a maritime component executed by Israeli and US navy ships.

The workshop was a very productive way to strengthen our respective governments’ national capacities and to improve our bilateral cooperation to deal with WMD-related interdictions.

Launched in Krakow, Poland in 2003, the current 105 PSI-endorsing states have committed to undertake measures, on a voluntary basis and consistent with their national authorities and resources and international legal frameworks, to interdict transfers of WMD- and missile-related items to and from state and non-state actors of proliferation concern, to exchange relevant information, and to strengthen legal authorities to conduct interdictions.  PSI endorsers regularly conduct exercises, workshops, and other activities to improve their capacities to fulfill their PSI commitments.