Posted on 03/08/2014 9:15:05 AM PST by Olog-hai
Jack Angelides was about to board a flight out of Israel’s international airport when he was given a curious choice that baffles him to this day. Traveling with a laptop and a stack of printed reading material, he was told to part with one or the other, due to unspecified security concerns. […]
While standing in long lines, walking through scanners and removing belts and shoes are a fact of post-Sept. 11 travel worldwide, Israel’s Ben-Gurion Airport seems to stand alone in the developed world with its security techniques, often leaving travelers dumbfounded. Though Israel denies profiling travelers, business executives, journalists and especially Arabs and visitors to Palestinian areas seem prone to being targeted with aggressive questioning, long luggage examinations and even strip searches.
The tough security is not new, but it is stirring debate. On one side stand those concerned about Israel’s good name, tourism potential and moral standing. On the other are those for whom security arguments can seem close to sacrosanct in a country hit with decades of attacks by Palestinian militants, a series of hijackings in the 1960s and ’70s, and whose travelers abroad are targeted in terrorist attacks. …
(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...
And that's a problem because.....?
Gee Jewish people are never poorly treated in Arab countries.
I hope El Al security will question their procedures every day:
“Are we strict enough, thorough enough, and vigilant enough?”
Leave to the AP to pile on with the anti-Semitism. Couched, of course, in “concerns”.
When most every nation hates you and you’re surrounded by millions of Muslim terrorists salivating to blow you up then perhaps you would sympathize with somewhat inconvenient airport security.
Ya....something that WORKS is questioned......
Let’s tear it down to the breaking point, so the enemy can win.....
Only to the un-initiated. Not falling into a routine is part of a good security plan. Routines are learned (by your enemies) and may be exploited. Variation, being unpredictable, these are assets.
Gee it’s not like many countries in the world would like nothing better than to kill a plane load of people on flights from Israel.
Any one who whines about their security measures can alway stay home, take a boat or hire an airplane.
There is alway one a-hole who thinks they are more important than everyone else and shoull be treated different.
Suck it up and stop being a crybaby.
A terrorist attack never entered my mind after that.
Jews actually defending themselves drive the nazis crazy. Stark raving crazy.
//”... And it is not clear whether terrorists have ever been caught as a result of the airport interrogations.” //
What breathtaking stupidity. A lack of incidents speaks volumes.
oh boo friction’ hoo. So some one is dumfounded because they don’t understand Israeli security measures. They have a heck of a lot better record than the groping perverts at the TSA.
Some people just think they are entitled to do what ever they want without regard to anyone or anything else.
Freedom is not license
Special procedures for the bearded savages is a good idea. Problem is knowing which passengers are savages, with or without the beard.
Anyone who has been in Israel and flown from Ben Gurion Airport knows that the questioning and inspection process is very thorough and lacking any and all considerations of political correctness. Knowing that each and every passenger on board the plane with you went though exactly the same process and was cleared is comforting, to say the least. And if, as the subject of this story seems to have felt, one is perturbed by the invasiveness or wants to complain about something that appears illogical they are always welcome to hire a boat and sail to Cyprus. The inspectors don’t give a flying you-know-what about “feelings”.
The questions are asked to help security personnel figure out what might be a potential “terrorist trigger” or any behavior pattern you would not expect from a tourist. They’re in fact far less intrusive and degrading than the useless security theater millions of Americans go through at their airports. Israel focuses on behavior; the American focus is on things. Questioning is designed to protect the Arabs as well as Jews and other people coming into the airport. What Israel’s critics forget is that the country is securing the most important human right of all: the right to live. And I consider that far more important than hurting someone’s personal feelings. If someone’s personal feelings get hurt through a security check, due amends can be made. But no one can bring back the dead. Israel’s security procedures are so effective no one is thinking of changing them.
Some are concerned that the Associated Press is shilling for anti-Semitic forces that would like nothing better than to see Jewish blood running in the streets.
On the part of the Israelis, I believe that no-terrorist incidents speaks of correct procedures on their part.
For the DHS, FBI, TSA et al here, I think their claims are complete lying bullsh!t. Their claims of stopping anything are lies. They only ‘catch’ anything after underwear fails to explode or shoes can’t be triggered.....
“Anyone who has been in Israel and flown from Ben Gurion Airport knows ...”
Been there through all that, and it didn’t bother me one bit.
It’s rather comforting to know everything is done for the flight and travellers’ security.
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