Black Agenda Report
Black Agenda Report
News, commentary and analysis from the black left.

  • Home
  • Africa
  • African America
  • Education
  • Environment
  • International
  • Media and Culture
  • Political Economy
  • Radio
  • US Politics
  • War and Empire

New York state sends police chiefs to Israel for 'counterterrorism' training
Middle East Eye Staff
17 Sep 2025
🖨️ Print Article
NYPD
NYPD officers arrest a pro-Palestinian activist during a protest to mark 76th anniversary of the Nakba on 15 May 2024 (Leonardo Munoz/AFP)

This is the second training visit for US officers that has been hosted by an Israeli government agency during Israel's war on Gaza.

Originally published in Middle East Eye.

More than a dozen police officers from the state of New York are on a training trip to Israel despite human rights experts saying that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza.

Police officers have already been accused of being heavy-handed against pro-Palestine protestors both on student campuses in the state and in New York City.

The 13 officials are said to be learning about security issues facing Israel, undertaking counterterrorism training to protect Jewish communities, and learning about antisemitism.

The training comes the same week Israel launched unprovoked air strikes on the sovereign territory of Qatar on Tuesday in violation of international law, killing five Palestinians and one Qatari. Israel then killed 46 people and wounded 165 people in an ongoing exchange of strikes on Wednesday in Yemen.

According to a report in JNS, Israel’s Ministry for Diaspora Affairs has been running the government training programme for US law enforcement officials for six years and has been dubbed “Birthright for American police chiefs,” in reference to free trips to Israel offered to young Jews who live outside of Israel.

The training session is reportedly the second since the war on Gaza began in October 2023. Michel Kopy, commissioner of public safety for Rye, in Westchester County, told JNS, “The resilience of the Israeli people just stands out."

Long history of collaboration

US police trainers have been trained by their counterparts in Israel for more than two decades. Thousands of officers have learned crowd control, use of force, and surveillance from Israel’s police, military and intelligence services, according to an article by Amnesty International.

The article said that while pro-Israel groups privately fund some of these trips, most of these trips are taxpayer-funded.

In 2016, the Department of Justice published a report which found that the Baltimore Police Department “makes stops, searches and arrests without the required justification; uses enforcement strategies that unlawfully subject African Americans to disproportionate rates of stops, searches and arrests; uses excessive force; and retaliates against individuals for their constitutionally-protected expression”.

Critics of Israel’s military training programme have said that it exacerbates American police brutality, increases racial profiling of brown and Black people, represses social justice movements and contributes to the proliferation of surveillance and a police state.

Human rights experts say the Israeli military teaches American police officers potentially illegal and unconstitutional policing tactics for training its officers.

The practices of draconian policing were seen in the killing of unarmed Black civilian George Floyd by white Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who asphyxiated Floyd by putting his knee on Floyd’s neck for eight minutes.

The killing, which was caught on camera, sparked national and international outcry and protests.

Activists pointed out that more than 100 Minneapolis Police Department officers were tactically trained on using one’s knee to restrain civilians at a counterterrorism event at the Israeli Consulate in Chicago in 2012, which was led by the Israeli military and police.

NYPD
Israel
Police

Do you need and appreciate Black Agenda Report articles? Please click on the DONATE icon, and help us out, if you can.


Related Stories

Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor
Regarding Nuclear War Between Israel and Iran
15 April 2026
The political fallout from Trump’s recklessness in West Asia continues around the globe, while some wonder how far the radioactive fa
Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
Trump and U.S. Hubris Undid the Plan for Iran's Destruction
08 April 2026
The U.S. has been temporarily rattled in its regime change effort against Iran.
Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist , ​​​​​​​ Ajamu Baraka, BAR editor and columnist
The Twilight of Western White Power Will Usher in the Dawn of a New Global Civilization Without Systemic Degradation and Dehumanization
08 April 2026
A conversation focusing on U.S.
​​​​​​​ Ajamu Baraka, BAR editor and columnist , Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
What is the 'Left' in the Era of Global Fascism
18 March 2026
There is no coherent and sustained leftist movement at the very moment that U.S. led global fascism is accelerating.
​​​​​​​ Ajamu Baraka, BAR editor and columnist
The Light of Palestine Will Lead the Way to Global Liberation
18 March 2026
Black Agenda Report Editor and Columnist, Ajamu Baraka, recently gave a presentation at the 4th International Conference “Palestine: The Nation
Anthony Karefa Rogers-Wright
Weaponizing Oil: Ecocide, Imperialism and the Chemical Warfare Brigades of the U.S. and Israel
18 March 2026
The US and Israeli war of aggression against Iran continues the ecocide committed against the people of the region.
Joseph Massad
Who threatens the Arab world: Iran or the US and Israel?
18 March 2026
It should be clear to Gulf Arab states hosting US bases that the American presence does not protect them but instead places them in danger.
Faris Giacaman
Israel is using the ‘Gaza doctrine’ in Lebanon and Iran
11 March 2026
For years, Israel used the “Dahiya doctrine” in Gaza. Now it’s using the “Gaza doctrine” in Dahiya — and Tehran.
Pambazuka News Editors
The Global African Implications of US-Israel Aggression towards Iran
11 March 2026
Global Africa must oppose military aggression.
Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
How Liberals Support Trump's War Against Iran
04 March 2026
“I don’t like Trump but Iran is bad,” is the siren song of feckless liberals. This moment calls for condemnation of the U.S.

More Stories


  • Resumen English
    All with Cuba: Stand Against the Threat of Imperialist Aggression in April
    15 Apr 2026
    Condemnation of the U.S. blockade against Cuba must be translated into acts of solidarity to defend the nation that has done so much for the world.
  • x
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Black Agenda Radio April 10, 2026
    10 Apr 2026
    In this week’s segment we hear about Cuba, the challenges of Caribbean unity, and resistance to U.S. efforts to destroy the revolution. But we begin with Iran and discuss how its defense capabilities…
  • x
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Iran's Resistance Exposes U.S. Weakness
    10 Apr 2026
    Iran is a more formidable foe than the US anticipated. The U.S. goal of regime change failed because of Iran's military power and determination to defend itself. In Washington the "Secretary of War"…
  • x
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    The Cuban Revolution Survives U.S. Aggression
    10 Apr 2026
    The United States has attempted to defeat the Cuban revolution from its earliest days and for more than 60 years has embarked on sabotage, economic coercive measures, and now a three-month long…
  • Darius Edgerton
    Keep Those Dirty Gringo Paws Off Brazil!
    08 Apr 2026
    It’s up to Americans to stop the Trump administration from using U.S. power to strong‑arm Brazil and interfere in their elections.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us