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Once again, security guards pay heavy price for blocking bomber
Israel Insider ^ | 5/20/2003 | Israel Insider

Posted on 05/20/2003 6:19:30 AM PDT by Israel Insider

A security guard was killed and his partner, Hadar Gitlin, 20, was seriously injured when they prevented a female suicide bomber from entering a shopping mall in Afula. Two other Israelis were killed in the attack and nearly 70 people were wounded, many of them seriously.

Two of the victims of the Afula terror attack were identified on Tuesday:

Avi Zrihan, 36, of Beit Shean. Hassan Ben Ismail Tawatha, 41, of Jisr a-Zarqa.

Knesset member Matan Vilnai (Labor) today proposed legislation that would grant security guards killed or maimed by terrorist attacks the same rights as soldiers killed or wounded, Israel Radio reported. Vilnai's proposal is intended to improve conditions for the guards, a mix of mainly newly discharged soldiers and students trying to earn a living as they get started in life, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Doctors at Afula's Haemek Hospital fear they may have to amputate at least one of Gitlin's legs, ynet reported. Her condition was reported as serious, but stable. "At one point she opened her eyes and mumbled something, but we didn't want to disturb her," her father told ynet. He said that his daughter had recently been fired from a position at a café and had taken on the security job despite the security risk.

"Hadar was on a patrol with another security guard, for whom this was his first day on the job," Uzi Rice, a Magen David Adom worker said. "He was checking people trying to enter [the shopping mall] and all of a sudden his metal detector started chirping loudly."

Gitlin came to the guard's assistance and at that point the female suicide bomber detonated her explosives. Eight years ago, Gitlin's sister was seriously injured in the double suicide bombing attack at the Beit Lid, but managed to fully recover.

Security guards have been involved in a long list of terror attacks, frequently paying with their life as they fulfilled their security duties.

Security guard Avi Tabib was seriously wounded when he prevented a British suicide bomber from entering the Mike's Place bar on Tel Aviv's seafront promenade on April 30.

Alexander Kostyuk, 23, was killed on April 24 when a suicide bomber detonated himself at the entrance to the new train station in Kfar Saba. Kostyuk asked to see the bomber's identity papers, and then the terrorist blew himself up.

Mikhail Sarkisov, a recent immigrant from Turkmenistan, had only been working as a security guard for three weeks when he utilized his Russian army experience to thwart a terrorist attack at a Tel Aviv cafe on October 11, 2002.


TOPICS: Israel; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: israel; terror; terrorism

1 posted on 05/20/2003 6:19:30 AM PDT by Israel Insider
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To: Israel Insider
Israel, has the Israeli government considered using police dogs that detect weapons and explosives in this continuing violence?

I understand the historical ramifications of the dogs to the Israeli people, but I also know from many years of field experience that they work wonderfully in detecting explosives (or other things, such as weapons or contraband) before a perimeter can be penetrated.

Its just a suggestion, but it could save lives.
2 posted on 05/20/2003 6:37:21 AM PDT by judicial meanz (Audaces Fortuna Juvat)
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To: Israel Insider
Aside from the politics, is it even physically possible to completely close off the Palestinian territories and leave them on their own with whatever economic relationships they develop with their neighbors in the other direction?
3 posted on 05/20/2003 6:40:51 AM PDT by elfman2
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To: Israel Insider
Courage
4 posted on 05/20/2003 6:43:01 AM PDT by KSCITYBOY
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To: Illbay
I know, I know....it ain't Breaking News.
5 posted on 05/20/2003 6:55:47 AM PDT by RedBloodedAmerican
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To: judicial meanz
"I understand the historical ramifications of the dogs to the Israeli people"

I don't. I've herd that arab/islamic types have poochaphobia, but I didn't know that there was an aversion to dogs among jews.

It does seem to me that well trained scenting dogs would be a big help in screening for persons carrying explosives.
I can't understand why it is not employed.

6 posted on 05/20/2003 7:19:07 AM PDT by SarahW
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To: SarahW
Sarah, the historical aversion to the use of dogs comes from the use of them by the Nazi's in the WWI death camps. The dogs were used in a variety of military and police roles, and were particularly gruesome when used on internees.

A lot people in Israel have some pretty distasteful memories of the dogs because of this, and do not like the public image of Israeli soldiers patrolling with dogs because of the historical parallel.

Its not a case of cultural poochaphobia( like that term..LOL).
7 posted on 05/20/2003 7:25:31 AM PDT by judicial meanz (Audaces Fortuna Juvat)
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To: SarahW
"…I didn't know that there was an aversion to dogs among jews. I can't understand why it is not employed. "

He's probably referring to NAZI attack dogs seen in film reels seen rounding up Jews for gassing.

There's probably not enough trained dogs in the world. I don't think they can work 8 - 12 hour shifts, and guards are required at the entrance of every place people gather.

8 posted on 05/20/2003 7:29:14 AM PDT by elfman2
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To: RedBloodedAmerican

To: Illbay
I know, I know....it ain't Breaking News.


Evidently you haven't heard...
9 posted on 05/20/2003 10:45:16 AM PDT by gcruse (Vice is nice, but virtue can hurt you. --Bill Bennett)
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