On 18 January 2011, the Centre for Political and Foreign Affairs (CPFA) in Paris hosted Efraim Halevy, the 9th Director of Mossad, for a day of high-level discussions. The sessions were moderated by Renaud Girard with the assistance of French philosopher Pascal Bruckner, bringing together voices from intelligence, politics, and philosophy to examine some of the most sensitive issues in global security.

The programme began with a breakfast for journalists, during which Halevy outlined Israel’s security concerns and the regional challenges posed by instability in the Middle East. He offered reflections on the limits of intelligence work, the importance of diplomacy, and the interplay between secrecy and political decision-making. His insights drew on decades of experience at the heart of Israeli intelligence and policy.

At lunch, in a more private setting with politicians, diplomats, and senior figures, the discussion deepened into questions of regional strategy, Iran’s nuclear ambitions, and the prospects for peace amid continued volatility. The combination of journalistic outreach and closed-door political dialogue gave the event a unique balance between public analysis and discreet conversation, marking it as one of CPFA’s most compelling engagements of the period.