Editing Isser Harel (section)

=== Intelligence in the State of Israel ===
Upon the establishment of the State of Israel, Yisrael was given the rank of [[Lieutenant Colonel]], then one of the highest ranks, just below [[Colonel]] (the rank of Aluf-Mishneh was only added in 1950, and the rank of [[Tat Aluf]] was introduced only after the [[Six-Day War]]). He was appointed to head the "Shin Bet" (General Security Service), a branch of the [[Israel Defense Forces|IDF]]. (Later, the service became an independent organization outside the IDF framework, also known as the [[Shin Bet]]).<ref>{{cite book|last1=Melman|first1=Yossi|last2=Raviv|first2=Dan|title=Shadow Wars: The Mossad and the Israeli Intelligence Community|page=51}}</ref>

The service under Yisrael's leadership had to be built from scratch, determining its principles, organizational structure, and methods of operation. One of the basic principles he established was that the employees of the organization had to be full-fledged government employees, with appropriate ranking, salary, and social benefits, without the special privileges and perks typically associated with secret service personnel in undemocratic countries. Another principle set by Yisrael was that employees had to maintain a high moral standard, with no criminal background and no adventurist tendencies.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Melman|first1=Yossi|last2=Raviv|first2=Dan|title=Shadow Wars: The Mossad and the Israeli Intelligence Community|page=56}}</ref> This principle, he claimed, was not adopted by military intelligence at that time, leading to scandals such as the Avri Elad and Mordechai Kedar cases.

Yisrael also decided to break down the political and party-based barriers that existed before the establishment of the state. He employed, without distinction, former members of the Haganah, Palmach, Irgun, and Lehi in the Shin Bet and later in the [[Mossad]]. This inclusive approach allowed individuals such as [[Yitzhak Shamir]], a former commander of the Lehi and later [[Prime Minister of Israel]], to be integrated into Israel's intelligence services. This policy contrasted with the prevailing sentiment of the time, expressed by [[David Ben-Gurion]] in his policy of "Without Herut and Maki", which marginalized members of the political right. Employing right-wing figures in government institutions was not common practice.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Melman|first1=Yossi|last2=Raviv|first2=Dan|title=Shadow Wars: The Mossad and the Israeli Intelligence Community|page=57}}</ref>

During the [[1948 Arab-Israeli War]], the Shin Bet was primarily engaged in internal security matters. After the war, the service expanded its operations to include [[counter-espionage]] and the monitoring of [[Israeli Arabs]] for intelligence purposes.