Carmi Gillon

Carmi Gillon
Carmi Gilon, 2018
Native name	כרמי גילון
Born	January 1950 Jerusalem
Allegiance	Israel
Service/branch	Israel Defense Forces
Commands	Head ofShin Bet
Battles/wars	War of Attrition
Alma mater	Hebrew University of Jerusalem(B.A. in Political Science) University of Haifa(M.A. in Public Policy) Harvard Business School(Advanced Management Program) Harvard Kennedy School(Management Training)
Spouse(s)	Sari Gillon
Children	Three
Other work	Director General of the Peres Center for Peace Ambassador to Denmark Head of Mevasseret Zion local council Vice President for External Relations, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Carmi Gillon(Hebrew:כרמי גילון;born January 1950) is an Israeli politician and a formerIsraeliambassadortoDenmarkand head ofShin Bet,Israel's internal security service, from 1994 to 1996.

After the 4 November 1995assassination of Yitzhak Rabin,he attracted criticism for failing to provide adequate security.

He graduated from theNational Security College.He has a B.A. in political science from theHebrew University,where he was recruited into the Shin Bet,and an M.A. in public policy from theUniversity of Haifa.He attended a six-week advanced management program atHarvard Business School,and completed management training atHarvard Kennedy School.

Biography

Gillon was born inJerusalem.His mother, Saada Gillon (née Frumkin), was born in OttomanJudeato which her ancestors immigrated from theRussian Empirein the 19th century, likewise Gillon's maternal great grandfather wasIsrael Dov Frumkin,a pioneer of Hebrew journalism who arrived 1859 (When Judea was part of Ottoman Syria). His maternal grandfather,Gad Frumkin,was one of the first trained attorneys in British-Palestine (a novel parcellation after WW1), who was the only Jewish judge on the Supreme Court of Palestine during theBritish Mandate eraand was also a member of theHebrew University of Jerusalem's Board of Governors from the 1930s until his death. His maternal grandmother, Chana Frumkin, was the daughter of Aharon Eisenberg, a pioneer of theFirst Aliyahwho was one of the founders ofRehovot,and was the President ofB'nai B'rithin Jerusalem. His mother served as Deputy Attorney General. His father, Colin Gillon, was born Colin Gluckman to a Jewish family inJohannesburg,South Africa,and immigrated to Palestine in 1937. Gillon's paternal grandmother, Katie Gluckman, was a prominent activist in the Zionist movement in South Africa. Colin served as State Attorney, and Hebraized his name from Gluckman to Gillon at Prime MinisterDavid Ben-Gurion's insistence.

Gillon studied at high school in the Jerusalem neighborhood ofRehavia,and at the Academy of Music. He began his military service in theIsrael Defense Forcesin theArmored Corps,but was transferred to theArtillery Corps.He was wounded in action in theWar of Attrition,and was discharged from the IDF in 1971. In 1972, he began studying political science and public administration at theHebrew University of Jerusalem.

Gillon is married to Sari. He has three children and five grandchildren.

Shin Bet career

In 1972, Gillon was recruited byShin Betduring his university studies. He initially worked as a bodyguard for senior staff. From 1982 to 1987, he was chief of the Shin Bet Jewish Department. From 1987 to 1989, he attended the National Security College, serving in a number of senior positions during his studies for an MA in political science and public administration. From 1989, he was chief of the Training Division. From 1990, he was chief of the Shin Bet Northern Command, a position in which he was responsible for Shin Bet activity in Lebanon. From 1993 to 1994, he was chief of the Administrative Division, responsible for HR, finances, and logistics. For four months in 1994, he was Shin Bet acting director duringYaakov Peri’s academic leave.

From March 1995 to February 1996, Gillon was the director of Shin Bet.B'Tselem,Human Rights Watch,and other human rights organizations have criticized his oversight. "During his tenure, and until the Israel High Court of Justice ruled against such methods in 1999, GSS interrogators were officially sanctioned to use'moderate physical pressure'on detainees (the vast majority of them Palestinians), "according toAmnesty International.From October 1994, when a suicide bomb killed 23 people, they were allowed to use "increased physical pressure". Secret government guidelines set down what "moderate physical pressure" and "increased physical pressure" allowed; according to court testimonies of GSS members themselves, this included subjecting detainees to sleep deprivation, prolonged shackling in painful positions, hooding with filthy sacks, being forced to squat like a frog (gambaz) and violent shaking (tiltul). During Carmi Gillon's period of service with the GSS such methods of interrogation were used against several hundred Palestinian detainees every year, many of whom were later released without charge.

In 1995, the Shin Bet's VIP protection unit failed to prevent theassassination of Prime Minister Rabin.Gillon had been inParisat the time of the assassination, and upon returning to Israel, immediately submitted his resignation to Acting Prime MinisterShimon Peres,who rejected it. Nevertheless, he resigned the following year. TheShamgar Commissionwas critical of the Shin Bet under his tenure.

Private sector

After leaving the service, Gillon served as general manager of theAvner Insurance Company(1997–2000) and then as director general of thePeres Center for Peace(2000–2001). He also studied atHarvard Business School.

Ambassador to Denmark

From 2001 to 2003, he was the Israeli ambassador toDenmark.When he was nominated for the position in 2001,Human Rights Watchcalled for the Danish government to reject his appointmentand for Israel to withdraw his nomination, whileAmnesty Internationalasked the Danish authorities to investigate him for torture, and if there was enough evidence for a prosecution, to detain him under theUN Convention against Torture,and to either try him or extradite him to a state willing to try him.Danish Justice MinisterFrank Jenseninitially said that Gillon could be arrested and prosecuted under the terms of the Convention after he admitted using "moderate physical pressure" on Palestinian detainees,but later backed down, acknowledging that as an ambassador, Gillon was protected bydiplomatic immunity.

Gillon defended the use of torture as a means of "self-defense against terrorism." He told Danish media that Israel might have to re-introduce "moderate physical pressure" when interrogating suspected Palestinian terrorists. "We banned this form of interrogation in Israel in 1999 because of the peace process. Unfortunately, it looks like we may have to start using it again," Gillon said. One member ofparliament,Centre DemocratleaderPeter Duetoft,called opposition to Gillon's appointment "hypocritical" becauseYasser Arafat,"the biggest terrorist", had recently visited Denmark without there having been similar objections.

In January 2014, Gillon arrived in Denmark to attend theCopenhagen Film Festivalfor a screening ofThe Gatekeepersand to deliver a lecture. After a Danish anti-torture NGO reported Gillon to the police for torture, Gillon left Denmark on January 10. The Prosecutor's Office subsequently rejected the complaint due to lack of evidence.

Politics and other activities

From 2003 to 2007, he was elected head of theMevasseret Zionlocal council. From 2007 to 2013, he was vice president for external relations forHebrew University of Jerusalem.

Gillon has been a member of a number of boards of directors, including theTahal Group,Danker Investment,and theArab Israel Bank.From 2014, he was chairman and CEO of Carmi Gillon Inc., chairman of CYTEGIC, and external director of the Dan Hotels chain.

Over the years, Gillon has written several books and a range of articles on the subjects of foreign affairs and security. He has also been an active current affairs commentator in the electronic media inIsraeland overseas.

In 2012, Gillon was featured in a documentary film,The Gatekeepers,and discussed the main events of his tenure in Shin Bet.