Ever since its inception the state of Israel has confronted terrorism, thus ushering in an unwavering development of a broad policy for counterterrorism. Israel always prefers to take the fight to the enemy's territory with its robust military doctrines and technological means. Israel's counterterrorism strategy consists of four main components: offensive, preventive, stringent laws and psychological measures. Intelligence plays a vital role in the overall counterterrorism strategy. Utilization of advanced technologies within an appropriate strategic concept forms a central element of Israeli strategic planning.

Israel carries out offensive strikes against terrorist bases like aerial bombardments, land incursion, naval operations, and target killings. Israel has conventionally preferred to eliminate the terrorist leaders as a reaction to rising waves of terrorism. Since the base of terrorist groups is located mainly in Arab countries, many of them in a state of war with Israel, extradition, or other forms of aligned legal action against the terrorists are not viable alternatives. The only way to retaliate against them is by targeting the culprits and the conceivers. Consequently, targeted killing has become an element of Israeli counterterrorism policy.

Preventive measures are intended to weaken the morale of the terrorists, hamper recruitment efforts, and prevent collaborators. Consequently, a major focus of Israeli counterterrorism operations is to prevent Palestinian terrorists from the West Bank from infiltrating Israel to stage attacks. Israeli Defense forces (IDF) operations to eliminate the terrorist infrastructure are directed against those activists who recruit and train the suicide bombers, manufacture the explosive belts, gather operational intelligence, and otherwise provide logistical and moral support.

Israel is a global guide in fashioning preventive measures against terrorist use of chemical and biological weapons. Not only do Israeli civilians face a direct threat of chemical or biological attack from countries such as Syria, and Iran, but also Palestinian terrorists have shown a growing interest in these weapons. In view of this threat, Israel has implemented the world's most sophisticated civil defense program against chemical and biological attack. Another area of terrorism prevention is aviation security. It is based primarily on an assessment of human factors, backed up with a variety of screening technologies and steps to consolidate passenger aircraft against hijacking and explosives.

Legislative measures are aimed at punishment of the planners and operatives of terrorist attacks, as well as the supporters of terrorist organizations. Stringent laws against terrorism, which admit arrest, executive detention, exile, and sealing and destroying houses of proved terrorists in the territories occupied by Israel. Inside Israel, several legislative prohibitions are in place to discourage Israeli citizens from supporting the members of terrorist organizations.

The Israeli government has a comprehensive programme to strengthen social resiliency in order to counter the psychological impact of terrorism. Israeli terrorism experts visit schools throughout the country and furnish educational programs tailored to students of different age groups. These lectures depict the motivations and functional strategy of terrorists, with the aim of immunizing students against the personalization of terror. This type of rendezvous intended for the awareness of terrorism, in all its aspects, lower the level of anxiety and thwart the terrorist's objective to infuse fear and challenge the personal security of the people.

To support its war on terrorism, Israel has formulated a highly interconnected and efficient intelligence setup. Israel's foreign and domestic intelligence agencies cooperate well in collecting and sharing terrorism-related information. Israeli intelligence agencies gather human intelligence on terrorism by deploying undercover agents in the Palestinian-controlled areas and by recruiting local informants inside or close to terrorist organizations. In addition to human intelligence, Israel has developed sophisticated technologies for detecting explosives and arms at a distance, through electronic eavesdropping and signals intelligence, and visual intelligence with unmanned aerial vehicles.

The influence and functionality of technology has prompted Israel to incorporate technology as an important component of its strategic and tactical doctrines. Israeli government decided to establish a special office to develop a nanotechnology arsenal. The objective of this is to provide Israel with a response to threats ranging from Palestinian rockets, suicide bombers, to long-range missiles and non-conventional weapons. Israel has developed technology for spotting suicide bombers before they can reach their targets. It has created a new computerized digital system counterterrorism database, which will help analysts to find and properly evaluate such information in the future, conceivably before terrorists can strike.

Israel's counterterrorism strategy contains ruthless operative measures like target killing of terrorist leaders, bombing terrorist targets by using air force, naval attacks and also stringent penal measures like exile and sealing and destroying houses of confirmed terrorists. Technology has brandished an important, if not vital, mold on counterterrorism strategy of Israel. Drawing on human and technical means, Israeli government agencies work continually to identify terrorist operatives and cells. Strong intelligence with technological support and preparing its citizens by counseling to face terrorism are also important features of its strategy.