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Hände weg von Israel und Islam!
Civilian Guards To Take Over Crossings, Hi-Tech Sensors Introduced
2006-01-15
The Jerusalem Post
www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite? cid=1136361086352& pagename=JPost%2FJP Article%2FShowFull
In an effort to minimize the level of contact between IDF troops and Palestinians, for the first time in Israel's history, civilian security guards will this week take control over the inspection process at two major crossings with the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
On Monday, the Mikud security company will begin inspecting Palestinians entering Israel and their merchandise at the Sha'ar Ephraim crossing near Tulkarm. On Thursday, a different security company will begin running the inspections at the Erez Terminal outside the Gaza Strip. Both companies won a tender last August to conduct the inspections in place of IDF soldiers.
Officials stressed that the army, Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), and the Israel Police would still maintain a presence at the crossings and that the civilian companies would operate under their supervision. Last month, Defense Ministry Dir.-Gen. Ya'acov Toren signed a memorandum with US Ambassador to Israel Richard Jones regarding the use of private security companies at the crossings as well as the installation of special scanning devices to expedite the movement of people and goods from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
"The defense establishment will still maintain overall control at the crossings," said one official from the office of the Coordinator of Activities in the Territories. "The goal is to lower the level of friction during the security checks, humanize the process and improve the level of service."
The civilian guards, defense officials said, underwent rigorous training to prepare them for the new job including psychological and behavioral sessions directed by the Defense Ministry.
In addition to the personnel changes, the Defense Ministry announced plans on Sunday to install special scanning devices throughout the crossings. Similar in shape to metal detectors, the devices, called "Safe View," use state-of-the-art sensors which provide an image of a person and any illegal objects concealed on their body.
The device came under harsh criticism by pro-Palestinian activists last year that claimed that the system "undressed" inspected people and violated their privacy. Defense Ministry officials rejected the criticism on Sunday and stressed that the device did not undress a person but only provided a scanned outline of the person without their faces. "There is no violation of privacy," one official said.
In addition to the Safe View scanners, the Defense Ministry also plans to install four mobile scanning devices at the Sha'ar Ephraim, Karni, Kerem Shalom and Tarkumia crossings in an effort to expedite the inspection process. The first scanner will be installed in Karni on Saturday.
Source: IMRA – Independent Media Review and Analysis
