Debate “Hezbollah: A Global Threat. The Case of Activity of a Terrorist Organisation in Germany”

Date of publication: November 7, 2019

Prague Centre for Middle East Relations (PCMR) of CEVRO Institute organized a public debate “Hezbollah: A Global Threat. The case of activity of a terrorist organization in Germany.” The event was held on Wednesday, November 6, 2019, 17:00-18:30 at the atrium of CEVRO Institute (Jungmannova 17, Prague 1). Our guests were:

• Ron Prosor, Abba Eban Institute for International Diplomacy na Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya.
• Daniel Cohen, Abba Eban Institute for International Diplomacy na Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya.

The debate was moderated by Tomáš Pojar, Vice-president for International Relations at CEVRO Institute.

Hezbollah is simultaneously a political party, a social welfare movement, an international terror organization, an international criminal enterprise, and a militia that is larger and more powerful than the entire Lebanese army. Hezbollah relies on terrorism as well as other forms of violence and coercion to achieve its goals, but the group insists on portraying itself as a legitimate political party.

The event is organized in cooperation with International Institute for Counter-Terrorism at Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya and it is supported by Česká zbrojovka a.s.

Ambassador Ron Prosor is the head of the Abba Eban Institute for International Diplomacy at the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya. He is the former Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations and the United Kingdom, and the former Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In his more than two decades with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Prosor carved out an international reputation as one of Israel’s most distinguished diplomats. Between 2004 and 2007, Mr. Prosor served as the Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr. Prosor’s previous overseas service has included roles in Washington, London and Bonn. Mr. Prosor was instrumental in establishing diplomatic relations behind the Iron Curtain following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. He was also a member of Israel’s delegation to the Wye River Summit talks in 1998 and served as the Minister-Counselor for Political Affairs at the Israeli Embassy in Washington. He holds a Master’s degree in Political Science from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he graduated with distinction.

Daniel Cohen is head of the Strategy and Intelligence desk at the Abba Eban Institute, at the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya. He is also a senior researcher at the Interdisciplinary Cyber Research Center (ICRC) at Tel Aviv University, and a Lecturer for cyber security at the Bar Ilan University. Daniel served as a counter-terrorism and cyber expert for the Organization for Security and Cooperation Europe (OSCE). Daniel’s research fields include Counter terrorism, Cyber security, cyber terrorism, and Influence operations, and terrorist organizations and their use of web & social media. He is a frequent lecturer in the private sector, governments and security establishments. Daniel holds a Master’s in Security Studies from Tel Aviv University, and a Bachelor’s (Cum Laude) in Government studies from the IDC Herzliya. Before joining the Abba Eban Institute, he worked as a research fellow and coordinator at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), and as a consultant in the government and security sectors.

The Abba Eban Institute for International Diplomacy at the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy, IDC Herzliya, is a pro-active research institute, inspired to form an innovative, effective and proactive diplomacy infrastructure for Israel, in order to restore its standing in the global arena, and counter terror threats by integrating in-depth academic research within innovative diplomatic strategies.