IIBR originated with Hemed Bet, the
Haganah biological warfare unit, which
Alexander Kenyan, then a microbiology student, established in
Jaffa in February 1948, shortly before Israeli independence, at the direction of
Yigael Yadin, the Haganah's chief operations officer.
Ephraim Katzir was Hemed Bet's first commander. Among the founders were Professor
Ernst David Bergmann, Prime Minister
David Ben-Gurion's science adviser and the head of R&D at the Ministry of Defense. Keynan was IIBR's first director.
El Al Flight 1862, which crashed in the
Netherlands in 1992, was carrying cargo destined for the Israel Institute for Biological Research which included 190 litres of
dimethyl methylphosphonate, which (among many other uses) could be used in the synthesis of
Sarin nerve gas, and is now a
Chemical Weapons Convention schedule 2 chemical. Israel stated that the material was non-toxic, was to have been used to test filters that protect against chemical weapons, and that it had been listed on the cargo manifest in accordance with international regulations. The Dutch foreign ministry confirmed that it had already known about the presence of chemicals on the aircraft. According to the chemical weapons site CWInfo the quantity involved was "too small for the preparation of a militarily useful quantity of Sarin, but would be consistent with making small quantities for testing detection methods and protective clothing". According to British intelligence writer
Gordon Thomas, the facility is surrounded by a high concrete wall topped with sensors, and armed guards patrol its perimeter. No aircraft are allowed to overfly the facility, and it does not appear on any map or telephone directory of the area. Inside the facility, code words and visual identification control access to each area, and there are numerous bombproof sliding doors that can only be opened by swipe cards whose codes are changed every day. Corridors inside the facility are patrolled by guards. Many of the research facilities are deep underground. All employees and their families undergo intense health checks every month. ==Life Science Research Israel==