"Estonia is a safe country for the Jewish community, both in the physical and virtual space," the minister said in a statement.

The minister was also briefed on Israel's civil protection and crisis preparedness, particularly in its border settlements.

Taro met with members of Israel's Home Front Command (Pikud HaOref), a part of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). He was introduced to methods used in civil defense, including alarm notifications in response to various threats, an area Estonia is building up too.

"Israel is without a doubt the most competent country in the world when it comes to civil defense and internal security," the minister said. "Their threat alert systems and the entire civil defense concept are world-class."

He said Estonia can learn a lot from the country as it starts to implement the Emergency Act.

During his trip, Taro visited border settlements in Israel, drawing on the lessons learned from the use of shelters and sirens during the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack.

He also took part in an international conference on antisemitism organized by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem titled "Together in Effort, United in Impact."

The conference addressed the role of education in the prevention of antisemitism, including how social media platforms, artificial intelligence (AI), and algorithms have sometimes facilitated targeted hate propaganda, with the resultant threats to democratic societies and their core values.

"Hate, conspiracy theories, and anger propagated through social media are increasingly finding violent expression in the real world. This can only be countered through shared values and cooperation between the state and citizens," said Taro.

The minister also visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Center, and his trip culminated with a visit to the coastal city of Netanya, where he met with IDF and other military personnel and defense industry representatives, getting an overview of tech and solutions implemented in Israel's border defense.

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