The Israel Situation » Transportation

Israelis Improve and Simplify Airport Security

Eric — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 22:48:02 +0000

Israel’s main airport, Ben Gurion International Airport in Lod, is considered the most secure airport in the world. When traveling through Ben Gurion, I have always been questioned by a person trained in behavioral responses to stressful situations. As a non-terrorist, I always got through fairly quickly. I was able to board the plane with my bottle of water, toothpaste, and without having someone “touch my junk.”

In lieu of full body imaging, which results in a nude image of you being shown to a security official, or a full body pat down, which involves someone “touching your junk,” the Israelis have come up with a simple yet effective security screening method.

First, it is important to note that Israeli security does look for weapons, but that is not the primary focus. Thousands of cameras and hundreds of security officers are trying to find terrorists. By focusing on the person, rather than the weapon, they have been incredibly effective in keeping air passengers safe.

The new advancement is a computerized method to analyze your response when asked if you are a terrorist. While you might expect a terrorist to lie when asked the question, the electronic response analysis works like a polygraph. It tests your body’s response to see if you are likely lying.

It is no secret that terrorists love targeting aircraft. They are giant missiles filled with jet fuel and hundreds of people. I don’t argue that security is not important. However, if I can carry a bottle of water onto a plane in the most secure airport on the planet, there is no reason I shouldn’t be able to elsewhere.

The TSA and other aircraft security agencies need to learn from the best and work for effective yet less obtrusive methods for keeping us safe. Hopefully that doesn’t involve touching my junk.

Security Tips for Travellers to Israel

Anthony Reich — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 18:11:38 +0000

Israel is regarded as the country which has the highest level of threat of attack against her and her citizens. This threat is from the possible attack on her borders, as well as terrorist attack. Unfortunately, a great deal of experience has been accumulated by the Israeli security establishment in preventing and responding to such attacks.

Despite the high level of threat under which Israel survives, she is also regarded as one of the safest countries in the world. Ben-Gurion international airport and Israel’s national airline, El Al, are widely recognized as the most secure amongst their peers.

Here follow a number of tips for travellers to Israel to allow you to know what to anticipate from the security environment in Israel, and how to feel secure within it.

Travel to and from Israel:

1. Israeli security personnel are obliged to profile people in order avoid undertaking in-depth security checks on each and every traveller. This requires the asking of personal questions to determine if you are in a higher risk group or not. These questions can sometimes seem irrelevant, repetitive and intrusive. Answer the questions honestly, and respond only to the question asked. Patience is advised, as any sign of agitation or frustration may be misinterpreted by the security agent.

2. If you are not Jewish, have not previously visited Israel or do not have family or friends living there that you can disclose to security staff, you are likely to fall into a higher risk group. Those travellers holding passports of particular countries classified as higher risk by Israeli authorities will automatically be classified as higher risk. This does not mean you are under any suspicion, but you are likely to undergo a more extensive and intrusive security check than other passengers. Patience and good humour helps a great deal to overcome this process.

3. Don’t use sarcasm or humour with the security staff. Many of them will look young and inexperienced. They have all been through the Israel Defence Force and will have been well trained for their job as a security officer. They know what they are doing, and what they are looking for. They have an extremely important job, and will not appreciate people trying to be funny with them.

4. Israelis are generally direct and quite abrupt in their initial interaction with strangers. This is frequently interpreted as unfriendly or even rude. Many people take offence to such approaches thinking that it is intended as a personal insult. This is a national character trait, and is not usually intended as something personal. Even when talking amongst themselves, Israelis can frequently be heard screaming at each other in a conversation that is really friendly and good-natured.

5. There will always be many more security personnel present than the ones in uniform and those who are easily identifiable. There will be plain-clothes security patrolling all areas of the airport used by Israel-bound passengers. Additionally, all flights will have concealed security personnel on board. Most members of the air crew will have served in the Israel Defence Force, and will have been trained to identify security threats.

6. Don’t be alarmed if some precautions that you expect to be exercised are not. For example, it is not the practice of airport security in Israel to prevent liquids being taken on board flights, despite the fact that almost every other airport in the world is now following this precaution.

When in Israel:

1. When entering many public areas such as shopping malls, museums and tourist sites, you will be asked to open any bag that you are carrying with you. If you are entering a car park, your car may also be inspected. Be ready to open you bag at the security check point upon entering such locations. This will minimize any delay upon entering, and will ensure that you are not suspected of being unwilling to cooperate at the security check.

2. When travelling around, and particularly if you plan to be in and out of tourist areas, be sure to travel only with items of clothing and equipment that you absolutely need. Carrying your belongings in a backpack or shoulder bag is advised. By carrying the minimum items with you, it avoids having to undergo a lengthy security check each time you enter a public area. Ensure that you carry a bottle of water and a hat at all times on your travels for your safety and comfort.

3. Ensure that you keep your belongings with you at all times. Leaving your belongings unattended could spark a security alert, and could result in your belongings being confiscated and even destroyed. If you see an unattended bag anywhere during the course of your travels, be sure to bring it to the attention of the nearest security guard as soon as possible.

4. Don’t be alarmed if you see many soldiers present in public places. Some of them will be carrying weapons. All young Israelis are drafted to the military, the girls for 2 years and the boys for 3 years. This results in a high proportion of Israelis being in uniform at any given time, and many of them can be seen travelling on public transportation and walking around public areas. This should not be a cause for concern.

5. If you plan to travel around Israel on your own, sticking to the main roads will ensure that you remain on safe territory during your travels. There are some roads, particularly in the West Bank, which should be travelled with great care. If you plan to be in these areas, you are advised to seek advice from locals in the area and from security authorities before setting out. The vast bulk of Israel’s roads are, however, safe to travel during the day and at night.

6. The streets in the cities of Israel are safe for walking during the day and at night. Feel free to browse the streets while always being vigilante and sensible.

7. The best defence you have against any security situation is your common sense. Use it wisely.

Security Tips for Travellers to Israel is a post from: The Israel Situation

Security at Ben Gurion Airport

Eric — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 21:26:00 +0000

photo © 2009 llee_wu | more info (via: Wylio)Ben Guiron Airport, located in Lod near Tel Aviv, is the primary international airport for Israel. It is also considered the most secure airport on the planet.

Israel rarely tells the world its security secrets, but an official shared some methods with other airport security directors from around the world. Now two weeks after the international bomb threat planned to be carried out using international shipping carriers, the world is looking to Israel for better air security practices.

Nahum Liss of the Israeli Airports Authority said Israel’s heavily fortified international airport is the most protected in the world, speaking as authorities on three continents were investigating cargo bombs intercepted at airports last week in Britain and Dubai.

A confident Liss told about 50 visiting security experts that security procedures at Ben-Gurion International Airport “are built in order to confront this kind of threat.”

One point that Liss did not avoid is racial profiling, a topic we have discussed on this site in the past. As Liss points out, it works very well. Why should Israeli security waste its time on a seventy year old Jewish woman when a thirty year old Arab man is in the same security queue? While not all Arabs are terrorists, all terrorists in modern Israel are Arabs.

Liss also discussed practices such as car and bus inspections on the roads leading into the airport, highly fortified building materials, an extensive security camera network, security robots, heightened luggage screening, and perimeter security.

I think the rest of the world should wake up and look to Israel for this critical issue. El Al is not the safest airline in the sky for profitability reasons; it is backed by the security forces of one of the most high tech militaries in the world. I have never been interrogated getting onto a domestic flight in the United States, but I was every time I got on a plane to Israel. Maybe there is something wrong with that?

Security at Ben Gurion Airport is a post from: The Israel Situation

Will Israel Apologize to Turkey?

Eric — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 16:35:41 +0000

In the wake of the Flotilla incident, Turkey and Israel have become increasingly further apart. Led by Turkey’s Islamist leadership, the important ally of Israel has become more disagreeable and cold to the Jewish state.

Just last week, Turkey banned Israeli military aircraft from crossing over Turkish airspace. Now, they are threatening to ban commercial aircraft as well. Turkey’s economy has lost $400 million from Israeli tourists that have canceled trips, forcing many tourist agencies out of business. 100,000 Israelis have canceled summer trips so far.

Despite the economic ramifications, Turkey is pressing forward. Turkey’s leaders have demanded that Israel offer a formal apology and compensate the “victims” of the Flotilla. As of now, it seems that Israel will not be apologizing. To me, that is rightfully so, but many believe otherwise.

Maybe Israel should have a Flotilla of its own. This week, Israel’s government convinced a group of left wing politicians and supporters that they should not follow through with a planned anti-occupation Flotilla to the Turkish controlled section of Cyprus

So, who is right and who is wrong in this case? That is up for debate. We do know, however, that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo?an is an enemy of Israel. He is destroying the wonderful relationship that was built up over the last half century. Turkey and Israel are important strategic allies for each other, and the ending of the relationship is horrible for both countries.

Furthermore, it appears that Turkey is moving closer to Iran and farther from the West. Its secular government is beginning to look much more religious. And a Turkey-Iran-Syria-Hezbollah alliance may be the biggest existential threat in Israel’s 62 year history.

(P.S. While I don’t agree with what that image represents, I couldn’t resist putting something up that made me grin as wide as Godzilla crushing the anti-Israel ships)

Will Israel Apologize to Turkey? is a post from: The Israel Situation

Turkey Bans Israel Military Aircraft

Eric — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 21:48:59 +0000

Turkey is a key air route for Israeli civilian and military aircraft to reach Europe and parts of Asia. Israeli planes cannot safely cross Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, or Iran. Because of the limited travel routes, Israeli planes almost all cross Turkey to fly north or east.

An Israeli military flight carrying officers to Poland for tours of memorial sites and concentration camps was forced to reroute when it neared Turkish air space. Turkey’s state run Anatolia newspaper published an article stating that the country has closed its airspace to all Israeli military flights because of the Flotilla incident.

It is sad to see Israel’s relationship with Turkey, a valuable ally, degrade so quickly. It seems that Turkey’s leadership is much more interested in severing relations with Israel than rebuilding, and the growing power of the Islamist population are happy to see the relationship go by the wayside.

As a Muslim country, Turkey has been an important friend for both Israel and the United States. Turkey has been moving closer to Iran and further from the West over the last several months. As an associate member, and hopeful full member, of the European Union, Turkey is in a divided position between the West and the Islamic world. Friedman’s Lexus and the Olive Tree has never seemed so relevant.

Turkey Bans Israel Military Aircraft is a post from: The Israel Situation

Route 443 Has Officially Opened to Palestinian Traffic

Eric — Fri, 28 May 2010 16:45:39 +0000

A couple of week back, I wrote a detailed analysis of the opening of Route 443 to Palestinian traffic. The day has come and the highway is open again. The highway, which links Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, was reportedly used by 55,000 Palestinians daily before violence broke out and at least seven Israelis were murdered while traveling on the highway.

Chinese news source Xinhua wrote a short article on the opening:

Israel opened on Friday a key highway across the West Bank to Palestinians, which had been closed off to Palestinian traffic in 2002 following a series of shooting attacks on Israeli vehicles.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) opened the Route 443 to Palestinian vehicles at 8 a.m. (0500 GMT) Friday morning, an IDF spokesman told Xinhua.

While the Palestinians are now able to use the road to reach some of the villages alongside it, access to Ramallah will only be possible via small side routes because of new roadblock barring entry to the city, Israeli military resources was quoted by local daily Ha’aretz as saying.

Route 443 runs from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, linking several West Bank villages to Ramallah. Before the expressway’s partial closure in 2002, it was estimated that an average of 55,000 Palestinian villagers used it on a daily basis to reach Ramallah and other West Bank towns.

In the first two years of the second intifada, or uprising, starting in 2000, at least seven were killed by roadside attack, which began with rock throwing and Molotov cocktails aiming at Israeli vehicles and was soon followed by fatal shooting incidents.

Now only time will tell if the situation has calmed itself enough for Israelis to safely travel along Highway 443. If you have not already, be sure to read the analysis on why this highway is important and the opening is such a big deal.

Route 443 Has Officially Opened to Palestinian Traffic is a post from: The Israel Situation

The Controversy of Highway 443

Eric — Tue, 11 May 2010 18:41:09 +0000

The most common route from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv these days is Highway 1. It is a major road up to the standards of an interstate highway in the United States. If you want to take an alternate route, you follow Highway 443. Highway 443 takes travelers from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv via Modi’in and Beit Horon. It is closed to Palestinians.

At the outbreak of the Second Intifada, the highway became an easily targeted site for terrorist attacks. Its proximity to Ramallah and other Palestinian cities led to a series of firebomb attacks and frequent sniper attacks on passing vehicles.

To deal with the violence, the Israeli military closed roads connecting Palestinian villages to the highway and built tall barricades to protect motorists from sniper fire. The road has remained closed to Palestinian traffic since October, 2000.

On May 29^th, an Israel Supreme Court approved measure to continue the closure will expire. On that date, the road will be open again to Palestinian traffic. It is important to look at both sides of this issue. Groups like B’stelem have been fighting to re-open the road to Palestinians for nearly a decade. Others, most notably the Shurat Hadin Israel Law Center, are petitioning to maintain the closure for the safety of the thousands of Israelis that use the road each day.

I do understand that the road closure is a major inconvenience to Palestinians just like when I-25 was closed for construction through Denver, I was inconvenienced. I would have been upset, though, if a subset of the population had been allowed to continue using the road while I could not. I would also have been pretty mad if it lasted for ten years.

However, Israel is not Denver. The road closure was for a very specific and identifiable reason. When the closure took place, a huge number of Palestinians were doing their best to murder any Jewish person that crossed their path. If the path went by their home, it was that much easier.

Today the situation is a bit different. While Gaza is still a major source of violence, things in Judea and Samaria have calmed. There are still frequent complaints between Palestinians and those in Jewish areas of Judea and Samaria, but few are violent and deaths are very infrequent. Israel, under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has made steps to improve the economic wellbeing of the Palestinians, and those efforts have begun to pay off. But that does not mean I have forgotten the Shabbos I spent on Moshav Mevo Modi’in with a high security fence and armed guards protecting me from the Palestinian neighbors. The entrance to the Moshav is right on Highway 443.

I believe opening the highway to Palestinian traffic is a good idea, but it needs to be monitored closely. The moment Israeli security forces see any hint of violence from Palestinians on this highway, it should be returned to the status quo that worked for the last ten years. While I care about the Palestinians have convenient travel options, I care more about Israeli lives.

The Controversy of Highway 443 is a post from: The Israel Situation

Cheaper Flights to Israel

Eric — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 22:05:26 +0000

About a week after I paid for a $1600 flight to Israel, the United States and Israel signed an “open skies” deal. The deal opens up the air transportation market between Israel and the United States. This will ultimately lead to more competition and lower costs to travel between the two countries.

From the JTA:

WASHINGTON (JTA) — Israel and the United States signed an open skies agreement.

Such an agreement removes restrictions on the airlines that may schedule flights between the two countries, leaving the determination to the marketplace.

“This agreement is good news for both countries,” Ray LaHood, the U.S. secretary of transportation, said in a statement last Friday, after the agreement was signed. “Consumers, airlines and economies of both the United States and Israel will enjoy the benefits of competitive pricing and more convenient service.”

Israeli officials have said that they expect prices to drop substantially as a result of the agreement.

It will probably be quite some time before this is priced into the market, so I would not delay any plans due to a dramatic decrease in price. However, it is good for Israel and those of us who like to fly between the United States and Ben Gurion Airport in the long run. We will probably see a slight increase of flights and slightly lower prices as well.

Cheaper Flights to Israel is a post from: The Israel Situation

Route 443: Is the High Court Correct?

Anthony Reich — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 09:51:44 +0000

On 29th December 2009, the Israeli High Court of Justice ordered the Israel Defence Force (IDF) to reopen Route 443 to Palestinian traffic. The ruling was made in response to a petition by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) on behalf of the residents of six Palestinian villages who were previously barred from using the road.

Route 443 is officially described as the main road connecting Jerusalem to the city of Modi’in. Perhaps more importantly, the road provides an alternative route between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The primary artery between these two key Israeli hotspots is Route 1, which has become increasingly congested as the volume of traffic between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem continues to grow dramatically. Many of those travelling between the cities choose to use Route 443 in the hope of avoiding the major traffic jams. The controversy surrounding Route 443 centres on a 14 kilometre stretch of the road between the Maccabim Checkpoint near to Modi’in and the Atarot Checkpoint on the north side of Jerusalem which passes through the West Bank.

In the 1980s, the Israeli government upgraded Route 443 spending many millions of Israeli taxpayer Dollars in the process. The plan was to improve it for the use of local traffic for the approximately 35,000 Palestinians living in villages on either side of the road, as well as for traffic travelling between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. When the second intifada broke out in 2000, Route 443 became a target for attacks by Palestinians on Israelis. Despite the erection of anti-sniper barriers along the road, 6 Israelis were killed in incidents of gunfire on Route 443. Three of these casualties were in a single attack when Freda Sawari lost her son, brother and sister-in-law. Numerous other attacks were staged on this road which, thankfully, did not result in casualties. These events prompted the IDF to close the road for use by local Palestinian traffic. Instead, the local traffic was diverted onto 3 alternative roads known as the “fabric of life” roads. There is no doubt that travelling on these alternative roads was far less convenient for the local traffic and ensured that their travel times were extended, sometimes quite considerably. Closures on Route 443 were enforced with physical barriers – concrete blocks and gates – to prevent local traffic from gaining access to the road. Since local traffic was barred from the road, there have been no Israeli casualties on Route 443.

In July 2007, a petition to the High Court of Justice by the local residents to open the road to local traffic was unsuccessful. The court upheld the IDF’s right to restrict traffic on the road for a further six months. Despite this ruling, the IDF announced that it would open use of the road to local commercial and public service vehicles during daytime hours. The villagers, however, did not accept this decision. Israel was continually accused of imposing “apartheid” on Route 443 by allowing Israeli traffic to flow while denying the right of local Palestinian traffic to use the road.

This has now been changed by the court December ruling which forces the IDF to open the road for use by Palestinian traffic within 5 months. This will be the first time that it will be open to Palestinian traffic since October 2000. The court ruling was not unanimous by the three justices on the bench. The majority, which included Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch and Justice Uzi Fogelman, ruled that the IDF is required to find an alternative way of keeping peace on Route 443. Dissenting Justice Edmond Levey felt that the security on the road was the jurisdiction of the IDF and the Defence Ministry, and that the courts should not intervene in such a matter. Ironically, one week before the ruling, an explosive device was found on the road. This was fortunately discovered in good time and dismantled before it could do any damage.

While I feel proud to live in a democracy where there is always recourse to the courts, even on such serious matters that may affect national security, I do feel on this occasion that the court decision is incorrect. I am not sure that I concur with dissenting Justice Levey’s view that this matter is not within the jurisdiction of the courts. On the contrary, I would wish the courts to rule on such matters. I feel on this occasion that the court has not ruled on the side of justice. If enabling local traffic on the road increases the risk of terror attacks, this traffic should not be allowed. I would feel the same about preventing Jewish traffic on the road if the terror attacks were initiated by Jews rather than Palestinians. So far, no Jewish threats have been evident on the road. Even though there continue to be threats on the road since the closure as evidenced by the device found shortly before the court ruling, it is clear that these have been kept to a manageable level to allow passengers to continue to use the road in relative safety. The fact that there have been no casualties since the closure was implemented on the road is, for me, sufficient evidence to prove its value. The road is a public service and should be made available to all law-abiding citizens wishing to use the road for its intended purpose. It would be the ultimate solution if this included the local Palestinian villagers as well as the Israelis passing by.

Since the court ruling, there have been reports of isolated stoning events along Route 443. This is despite the fact that the closure remains in place. It seems as though the ruling has emboldened Palestinians in the area to return to their old ways and this is regrettable. Israeli drivers have responded by staying away from the road in their droves, thereby creating insufferable traffic jams on Route 1. It was quoted recently that a diversion of only 20% of the through traffic from Route 443 to Route 1 would cause a collapse of the main artery.

I agree that the Israeli courts need to be looking after the best interests of all citizens in Israel – Jews and Arabs alike. I also agree that there have been occasions that the IDF has resorted to the “easy solution” in taking care of a complex security situation. Sometimes the easy solution is not the best solution, and the courts do have a role in evaluating this. I sincerely hope, however, that Justices Beinish and Fogelman can see something that I cannot see as to how the IDF may be able to keep the peace on Route 443 while still allowing local traffic on the road. In the meantime, I remain unconvinced and, along with me, the vast majority of the Israeli public. I sincerely hope that we are wrong.

Route 443: Is the High Court Correct? is a post from: The Israel Situation

Israel’s Streets on Yom Kippur

Eric — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:44:11 +0000

Ha’artez has a great photo report of Israel’s busy streets on the not so busy Yom Kippur. It is worth taking a gander. The streets of Israel empty out every year on Yom Kippur and children are often seen riding bikes through major streets and highways.

Israel’s Streets on Yom Kippur is a post from: The Israel Situation