OT: How the Israelis do Airport Security

[CricketOnTheHearth]

Today I had the privilege of asking an Israeli coworker of mine how they do airport security in Israel.
He said that before he came to work for our company, he was an undercover security guy for El Al.
So it sounds like he ought to know.

Here’s what he told me:

1) They have undercover guys in the parking lot/around the terminal, who watch the people who arrive in their cars/taxis.

2) Inside the terminal, there are both uniformed and undercover security personnel. They get close to the crowd and watch the people in it. Anyone who catches their eye, they take a closer look at them. If a passenger is uneasy about a fellow travel, they can go report it to one of the uniformed folks.

3) When the people are in line to check in, security personnel interview each and every one. This is a quick interview– what is your name, where are you coming from, what is your travel business. They also look at the person’s passport and compare the name against their list of known ‘hostiles’.

This is mostly so the security person can get a ‘feel’ of where the passenger is at mentally. If a person in the interview sets off the security person’s “radar”, they are sent to one line for more detailed questioning. If not, they are sent on to the other line to send their checked baggage through X-Ray.

He told me that if someone is not on the up-and-up, ‘you can sense it’.

4) Checked baggage is X-rayed with its owner present. That way, if the screeners see something amiss, they can immediately ask the passenger, ‘what is this’.

My coworker did not indicate that the Israelis use body scanners.

He did comment, however, on his consternation when at the Philadelphia airport, TSA made him strip his (toddler) daughter in the wintertime, on the grounds that “everyone has to do this.” “But it’s cold,” he protested. They made him do it anyway.

It appears that the Israelis use both prior intel, and a lot of “people sense” to screen passengers for potentially troublesome ones, and it is only the ‘potentials’ who get the more intensive
screening. The Americans treat all passengers like potential terrorists.

Your thoughts?

[GH]

The Israelis use profiling and waste little time on low risk passengers. We have to “pretend” to treat everyone equally which means babies and little old ladies MUST be screened equally with Osama look alikes.

[GH]

The Israelis use profiling and waste little time on low risk passengers. We have to “pretend” to treat everyone equally which means babies and little old ladies MUST be screened equally with Osama look alikes.

[GH]

The Israelis use profiling and waste little time on low risk passengers. We have to “pretend” to treat everyone equally which means babies and little old ladies MUST be screened equally with Osama look alikes.

[GH]

The Israelis use profiling and waste little time on low risk passengers. We have to “pretend” to treat everyone equally which means babies and little old ladies MUST be screened equally with Osama look alikes.

[GH]

The Israelis use profiling and waste little time on low risk passengers. We have to “pretend” to treat everyone equally which means babies and little old ladies MUST be screened equally with Osama look alikes.

[CDMA ENG]

Ok…

So I believe people are begining to realize I know way to much about special operations but…

The Israelis don’t worry much about security because Arab terrorist know damn well the IDF will not negotiate. The IDF will simply give you a chance to surrender and when you do not they will come aboard killing everything thier way. Civilian as well. The IDF consider it the cost of doing business. Hence they simply don’t have that many problems after that.

This is the mission that set the precedence.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Entebbe

I think they made a cheezy movie about it starring Charles Bronson.

CE

[CDMA ENG]

Ok…

So I believe people are begining to realize I know way to much about special operations but…

The Israelis don’t worry much about security because Arab terrorist know damn well the IDF will not negotiate. The IDF will simply give you a chance to surrender and when you do not they will come aboard killing everything thier way. Civilian as well. The IDF consider it the cost of doing business. Hence they simply don’t have that many problems after that.

This is the mission that set the precedence.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Entebbe

I think they made a cheezy movie about it starring Charles Bronson.

CE

[CDMA ENG]

Ok…

So I believe people are begining to realize I know way to much about special operations but…

The Israelis don’t worry much about security because Arab terrorist know damn well the IDF will not negotiate. The IDF will simply give you a chance to surrender and when you do not they will come aboard killing everything thier way. Civilian as well. The IDF consider it the cost of doing business. Hence they simply don’t have that many problems after that.

This is the mission that set the precedence.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Entebbe

I think they made a cheezy movie about it starring Charles Bronson.

CE

[CDMA ENG]

Ok…

So I believe people are begining to realize I know way to much about special operations but…

The Israelis don’t worry much about security because Arab terrorist know damn well the IDF will not negotiate. The IDF will simply give you a chance to surrender and when you do not they will come aboard killing everything thier way. Civilian as well. The IDF consider it the cost of doing business. Hence they simply don’t have that many problems after that.

This is the mission that set the precedence.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Entebbe

I think they made a cheezy movie about it starring Charles Bronson.

CE

[CDMA ENG]

Ok…

So I believe people are begining to realize I know way to much about special operations but…

The Israelis don’t worry much about security because Arab terrorist know damn well the IDF will not negotiate. The IDF will simply give you a chance to surrender and when you do not they will come aboard killing everything thier way. Civilian as well. The IDF consider it the cost of doing business. Hence they simply don’t have that many problems after that.

This is the mission that set the precedence.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Entebbe

I think they made a cheezy movie about it starring Charles Bronson.

CE

[AK]

I’ve never been to Israel nor have I ever flown El Al … but I have been through Heathrow a couple of times, and I was amazed by the way they managed to screen everyone thoroughly, methodically, and efficiently while treating everyone with respect and dignity.

It can be done … it just takes effort.

[AK]

I’ve never been to Israel nor have I ever flown El Al … but I have been through Heathrow a couple of times, and I was amazed by the way they managed to screen everyone thoroughly, methodically, and efficiently while treating everyone with respect and dignity.

It can be done … it just takes effort.

[AK]

I’ve never been to Israel nor have I ever flown El Al … but I have been through Heathrow a couple of times, and I was amazed by the way they managed to screen everyone thoroughly, methodically, and efficiently while treating everyone with respect and dignity.

It can be done … it just takes effort.

[AK]

I’ve never been to Israel nor have I ever flown El Al … but I have been through Heathrow a couple of times, and I was amazed by the way they managed to screen everyone thoroughly, methodically, and efficiently while treating everyone with respect and dignity.

It can be done … it just takes effort.

[Author]

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