The authority is designed to effectively confront the phenomenon of threatening and hurting potential witnesses by criminals. The authority protects the witnesses and their families prior to, during and after the trial.

IWPA Duties
The authority will offer operational services including protection of high risk witnesses using a wide scope of tools and means needed to protect the witness and their family (if needed), including relocation to secure areas in Israel or abroad as well as:

1. Developing professional knowledge and doctrine for the protection of threatened witnesses in accordance with the policy of the steering committee
2. Setting set criteria for assessing the threats and developing tools to protect the witness based on those assessments
3. Setting work procedures deriving from the professional doctrine, while working in cooperation with the steering committee and other relevant authorities.
4. To serve as a professional guide in the field of witness protection for all authorities in Israel
5. To initiate required bills for promoting the civil commitment of the witnesses in conjunction with the relevant authorities
6. International cooperation along with other relevant government offices
7. To be take part in explanatory activities in order to strengthen the civil obligations of witnesses and to cooperate in that field with the local municipalities and law enforcement agencies.
8. Supporting the witness and their family before, during and after the testimony, and to minister to their needs in order to assure the successful protection plan
9. To coordinate the efforts for  the every day life of the witness (education, health, welfare and employment) in order to reach the maximal independence and functionality possible for the witness and their family

The establishment of the IWPA
In 2002 an establishing committee was created, headed by Moshe Lador, Former Jerusalem Region State Prosecutor, consisting of representatives of the Ministry of Public Security, the State Prosecutor's Office, the Israel Police and the Ministry of Finance, in order to examine the current situation at the time in the field of witness protection in Israel, and to form a proposal adapted to local requirements.

The committee's report which was presented in September 2004 included a broad survey of the present situation in Israel regarding the phenomenon of threatened witnesses, is implication and effects on the law enforcement system as a whole.

IWPA Responsibilities:

• To initiate, in cooperation with the steering committee, required legislation amendments for the promotion of the authority's activity and to strengthen the witness's commitment to their civil duty to bring criminal to justice
• To set, in cooperation with the steering committee, compatible work procedures deriving from the professional doctrine, formed in group effort by the State Advocacy, the Israel Police and the Israel Prison Service, in cooperation with relevant government offices and authorities.
• To promote international cooperation in the field, while coordinating with other relevant government offices.

IWPA goals
The aim in the establishment of the IWPA is to assure professional and optimal treatment in the field of witness protection.

The Israel witness protection program includes a wide variety of tools and meant for the physical protection of the witnesses from the earliest stages of the legal process throughout the trial and until the threat has past, which includes:

• The capability to change the identity of a threatened witness
• Relocation of the witness and his or her family to a covert location over seas while confronting difficulties of relocation and cooperation with other countries.
• To be more strict with anyone who threatens witnesses or attempts to harm them
• To accelerate and optimize legal proceedings in order to minimize the time between the offense and the testimony, thus minimizing the time in which the witness is exposed to danger.

The organizational and operation structure of the IWPA are based on the following foundations:

1. The authority consists of professional with a strong background in training and experience in the fields of security, law, criminology and social work
2. In order to make operational decisions, the authority's senior staff will work in conjunction with the State Advocacy, the Israel Police and the Israel Prison Service, along with other relevant professional bodies, depending on each specific case.
3. The authority will include a staff of specialized security officers who will protect the threatened witnesses. Some will be full time employees of the authority, and some will be recruited for specific assignments. 

The establishment of the IWPA has many advantages. Firstly, is assures proper and professional care for all the aspects of protection of threatened witnesses, while allocating significant resources towards its causes. It is also designed to assist in the legal proceedings while attempting to solve the phenomenon of witnesses who fear for their or their family's life and refrain from testifying. The authority's specialization experience and cooperation will allow it to draw conclusions from its work and continuously improve the protection of threatened witnesses.

The IWPA will also contribute to the minimization of the severe crime and to the battle against it by strengthening the national and social sense of security in the country, thus leading also to minimizing the economic damage caused by crime.
The steering committee's report states that witnesses requiring protection who are not included in the witness protection program will be protected by the Israel Police who are specially trained for the assignment.  In addition, the reports states that detainees or prisoners who require protection due to their cooperation with the state will enjoy significant improvement in their prison conditions which will include extra privileges and designated cells for them.
On January 28, 2007, the Israeli Government approved the appointment of Arye Livneh as the Director of the Israel Witness Protection Authority.
On April 2, 2008, the Witness Protection Bill was approved in the first reading by the Israeli Knesset.  

Previous press releases:

Minister Dicter: "The Israeli Witness Protection Authority is critical to bringing criminals to justice"
Witness Protection Bill approved in first reading by the Knesset
"Witness Protection" bill approved by Ministerial Committee for Constitution and Law
Minister Dicter Instructs new witness protection Authority to be operational by January 2008
Aryeh Livneh named director of new witness protection authority