Israel Legal Attaché Cary Gleicher Describes the FBI’s Role Overseas

Video Transcript

What’s important to understand is the FBI always respects the sovereign rights of a nation. So, while we’re here, we are not conducting interviews, we’re not executing search warrants, nor arrest warrants. Our job is to build and foster long-term relationships. Our job is to build a pipe, if you will, that allows Washington, D.C. leadership in the FBI, and our field office commanders, to reach out and touch any of the Israeli commanders at any time.

It takes a great deal of effort to foster these relationships. Because the only way for a relationship to work is to have it go two ways. The FBI provides a great deal of support to the government of Israel through training opportunities, exchange of intelligence. And the Israelis do an unbelievable amount in the realm of counterterrorism for us. They've lived since the birth of their nation with the threat of terrorism.

So, while we live in a nation here where the Arab-Israeli conflict is with us every single day. And that’s all the news is about. And is there a two-state solution or one-state solution? Are Palestinians targeting Israelis? Are Israelis targeting Palestinians? We have a unique opportunity to work to stop—with our host-country partners, whether they be they Israeli or Palestinian—to ensure as best we can that innocent people aren’t harmed.

And if there’s a tragic situation, we work with our partners to find the perpetrators. So, it doesn't matter to us whether somebody’s wearing a Jewish skullcap—a kippah—or whether a Palestinian is wearing a keffiyah, we look at everybody as human beings and our job is to stop them from getting hurt or find the bad guys if they do get hurt.