Special Report
Doing Security the Israeli Way
When’s the last time TSA looked anyone in the eye?
“Let’s do things the way the Israelis do.” That’s the latest buzzword in airline security. It’s nice to hear the Israelis being praised for something, but if we don’t understand what the Israelis do, we’re just going to be adding another layer of bureaucracy to an already overloaded system
CNN spent an hour interviewing Isaac Yeffet, former head of El Al security, for example, and all it came away with is that the Israelis interview everyone on line while they’re waiting to go through security, that the security personnel speak at least two languages, and that the system costs a lot of money. (Hey, let’s order up a lot of Rosetta Stones!) According to the Wall Street Journal, “the secret to [the Israelis’] successful airport security is not labor-intensive checkpoints, but a screening system that is frowned upon in many other countries: ethnic profiling.”
Can’t you just see the ACLU licking its chops at that one? Many people think it was the undisclosed settlement won by the “six flying Imams” against US Airways last October for being “racially profiled” for their erratic behavior at Minneapolis Airport that set the stage for the Christmas bomber incident.
But the Israeli security system is not based on dual language skills or racial and ethnic profiling. The heart of the Israeli strategy is the idea that the most sophisticated scanner in the world is an intelligent, alert human being and that the most important terrorist behavior database is the shared assumptions, memories and life learning we call “common sense.” It revolves around a simple principle that no one in the Homeland Security Department does not yet seem capable of grasping: “Look at people, not things.”
I’ve been through Ben Gurion Airport many, many times. As a female Caucasian with a Jewish last name, you’d think I wouldn’t have any trouble with “racial and ethnic profiling.” Yet I’ve been questioned extensively more than once. In every instance, it had nothing to do with what I was carrying or whether I was a little darker than usual. It had to do with my behavior.
Israeli strategy is built on multiple face-to-face contacts between passengers and airport personnel. A mile or so away, on the road leading to the terminals you encounter a structure that resembles a classic American highway toll plaza. It’s actually a checkpoint. A young soldier approaches your vehicle, bends close to the window, peers in, and asks a few questions, innocuous things like “How’re you doing? Where are you going today?” The substance of the answers (i.e. “I’m going to Casablanca”) is far less important than what psychologists call your “affect” — your demeanor, whether your gaze is steady or if it ping-pongs around, whether you are sweating heavily, whether your clothes seem appropriate to the surroundings or just subtly…well…off.
As Rafi Sela an Israeli security consultant told the Toronto Star, “The whole time, they are looking into your eyes — which is very embarrassing. But this is one of the ways they figure out if you are suspicious or not.” Certainly other factors, demographic factors — stuff other people would call “profiling” — does affect this encounter.
Early one morning I was held for slightly longer at this checkpoint because I arrived at the airport in a hired car service driven by a young male Israeli Arab. There were several more questions than the times I had driven up by myself or in a car driven by a non-Arab Israeli. On this occasion the soldiers also opened the trunk and poked around a bit among the luggage. Since the driver and I were forthcoming, cooperative, calm, and direct we were soon sent on our way. Another time when I received much more scrutiny was a day when — I admit — I was upset about a few things. They checked my passport and wanted to know why I kept flying back and forth to England. I told them I was visiting my brother, but it took a long time to convince them I had no bad intentions.
The second screening occurs while you wait on line to check your baggage. You are then approached by a uniformed young person (they are usually Israeli reservists) and “chatted with” again, the same sort of “where are you going?” stuff — even such friendly questions as, “Did you enjoy your trip to Israel? Where do you live in the United States? Do you go to a synagogue there?”
People are often taken aback by the synagogue question but it is not an effort to identify Jews; rather it is simply a conversational gambit to prolong the contact, a way to get in close and feel the vibes. As Sela explains, “They’re not looking for liquids, they’re not looking at your shoes. They’re not looking for everything they look for in North America. They just look at you. Even today with the heightened security in North America, they will check your items to death. But they will never look at you, at how you behave. They will never look into your eyes. And that’s how you figure out the bad guys from the good guys.”
The Israelis would be crazy to rely solely on passenger twitchiness, so all kinds of other elements get thrown into the mix: I observed one youngish European male get extra attention because he looked substantially different than his passport picture. (He had had a haircut and shaved.) The Israelis generally wanted to know more about why I had a visa stamp from Bahrain. Michael Totten, a journalist who specializes in Middle East reporting, was questioned longer than average because his passport is full of visa stamps from countries known to export terror. “Does anyone in Lebanon know you’re here?” he says he’s usually asked. He was also asked if he’s ever met with anyone from Hezbollah.
Many will scoff at the use of such direct questions since they assume they are easy to lie about, but lying well is extremely difficult, especially when you are faced with an earnest young woman (most of the Israeli soldiers on airport duty are young women) who seems to have all the time in the world to look searchingly into your eyes. Travelers I know are constantly guffawing at the “futility” of the “did you pack your own bags?” question but under the right circumstances a simple, direct question like this can be a powerful tool. Bringing up bags with someone who has a guilty conscience about his bags is going to produce wisps of affect, observable data.
In 1986 the simple question, “Did you pack your bags yourself?” ended up saving hundreds of lives in the following incident, as reported by Neil C. Livingstone and David Halevy in the Washingtonian (hat tip to Daniel Pipes):
“No,” a 32-year-old Irish lady bound to Israel for the first time in her life told El Al screeners at Heathrow airport.
And so the screeners pressed on.
About the Author
Stephanie Gutmann is the author of The Other War: Israelis, Palestinians and the Struggle for Media Supremacy (Encounter, 2005).
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Ret. Marine| 1.15.10 @ 7:31AM
As the old saying goes, the eyes are the soul to any individual. Come on, does anyone here think common sense questioning and a person actually asking these questions is going to get the required training needed to do such tasks from this gubmint, not while this muslim occupies our House we won't.
As a trained specialist of a certain type of inteligence agency, I can verify when a person is lieing, some of this is common sense and much more involves years of observations and understanding human nature to pick up on the suttle but obvious actions of a person who's up to no good. When it comes to the safety and security of lives in this inviroment, terror, incompetent gubmint employees of the TSA types nothing should be off the table and no one is exempt from scruitney not even the pretender-n-theif himself. At the least I can prove myself to have been born in this country, and have on many occasions, dedicated to our way of life and more importently, I have nothing to hide.
Franklin| 1.15.10 @ 6:33PM
I heard someone say that we should hire retired military, police, and CIA types to handle the questioning. I agreed with them, but wonder about the current batch being trained.
After the Ft. Hood killings, I wonder if they are being shamed into not heading their common sense intuitions. Shamed for fear of what that idiot said about being concerned for the "diversity" in the military (which was interpreted [probably rightly] as meaning diversity trumps safety).
Also, I read that police officers are now becoming less observant due to the "civil rights" of criminals (not being able to use their intuition, feelings, or common sense to do searches - they actually have to have proof of something before they can search for the proof).
Sigh. PC is a tool of the Marxist, Communist, Progressives, Socialist, etc.
Alan Brooks| 1.15.10 @ 10:29PM
If the GOP doesn't like Obama, why don't they run better candidates for POTUS?
Then a ret. Marine wont have a "muslim" to kick around anymore.
Ret. Marine| 1.17.10 @ 5:39AM
And just what side are you on anyway there Mr. Brooks. It was not a matter of running a "better" candidate, it was a matter of theft, you remember that one don't you? I seem to recal you being one of these individuals who embraced the idea that Mr. Bush and Co. stoled the election back in 2000.
"then ret. Marine won't have a "muslim" to kick around anymore, you are such a slub, you know nothing of me, my career, or what it was that I did for the remaining 26 years in service to this Country. And for your information I didn't "kick" anyone around, I simply led teams in to "kill them" idiot.
Ecco| 1.19.10 @ 2:54AM
Semper Fi! You tell 'em!!
(Proud daughter of a retired Marine.)
martin j smith| 1.18.10 @ 2:54PM
Hey brooks,grow up will yuh ? Do you want to be blown up or be protected. ? It about having a leader, ANY leader who shows common sense and real cfoncern for the American people. Obama is the President, it his responsibility and frankly Ido have have confidence in him at all. Believe me when I have a chance to vote it will be a vote AGAINST Obama and his ilk in the administration,congress etc. I have no illusions about either party
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Howard| 1.15.10 @ 9:13AM
My family visited Israel in 2006 for a vacation. We flew El Al from JFK to Tel Aviv. I would corroborate the authors points. We were interviewed by a young man while we were checking in. He did ask a number of questions regarding the purpose of the trip, which synagogue we belonged to, etc. He was even tempered and had a nice sense of humor, but, he did seem interested in getting a "handle" on us. After this inquiry, we went through the TSA typical American security procedures. Off with the shoes, empty the bags, etc. I accidentally packed a metal bicycle tool, which TSA did pick up and dispose of. Going back from Israel to JFK was not as intrusive, but still more than any US airport security. We were with a recognized travel organization, so perhaps we didn't merit as much scrutiny. I guess a good analogy is the CIA vs. KGB, Mossad, etc. We rely on high tech to mask our lack of human capabilities. Those services rely more on human intelligence.
2Anglico| 1.15.10 @ 9:35AM
Excellent article! And since our country is too sissyfied to put these simple methods into practice, I will NEVER fly again. What a collossal waste of resources forcing granny to get out of her wheelchair to take off her shoes.
The islamists are laughing themselves silly.
Zach | 1.15.10 @ 10:21AM
I blogged about this a bit myself. It's efficient AND effective; the Israelis understand that security is about more than a fat paycheck for a TSA union. It's about the survival of a way of life. We should take it seriously as well.
Stammon| 1.15.10 @ 11:35AM
It's not an either or situation. A few years ago I was stopped at Louisville's Terminal. I failed the "puffer test". They tried three times, and each time the alarm went off. I am a 50 year old white male in boots, jeans, work shirt and ballcap. A very nice mid 30's chubby uniformed black man pulled me aside and started the interview;
Do you own guns:
"yes"
Do you reload:
"no"
Have you been shooting lately:
"no, haven't handled a gun in over a year"
What do you do for a living:
"I'm a steel worker, and I farm"
A farmer!, do you work with fertilizer?
"Yes, about 4 months ago"
"In fact this is the cap I wore when I ran the fertilizer truck"
At this the man relaxed. I took off the hat, passed the test, and flew to California.
Blacque Jacques Shellacque| 1.15.10 @ 11:50AM
Only when we start talking to passengers will be able to get into their heads.
With the current crop of TSA employees, that's not likely to happen.
Chris Baker| 1.15.10 @ 12:11PM
Works in Israell with one international airport, and universal (almost) military service. With our volume of traffic and unionized, DMV-style public employees? Not a chance. It'd be worse if it were privatized though. Anyone remember the workforce fringe players manning the checkpoints BEFORE TSA?
Texas Engineer| 1.15.10 @ 12:55PM
Chris they are the same people. Now they wear a government uniform and draw a US Government pay check. Previously they were employees of a private company that answered to the local police and the FAA.
Rocco| 1.15.10 @ 2:05PM
I recall when we went through this discussion post-911. Yeah, let's do it the Israeli way.....nothing doing... We in our arrogance and stupidity thought we could do it better than the Israelis with the old unionized, DMV methods Mr. Baker alluded to. What a joke!!!!!
Ed| 1.15.10 @ 2:21PM
I just flew back from Maui and the TSA agent there did engage people in conversation, looked you in the eye, and tried to get a "read" on each passenger's affect. They also looked at you while you took off your shoes, belts, coats, etc. for the x-ray scanner and walked through the metal detector. Probably, Maui's TSA supervisor is more on the ball than the usual TSA supervisor.
Marc Jeric| 1.15.10 @ 2:41PM
After 9/11 our wimp Bush said that Islam was a religion of peace and I puked; then his Transportation secretary, another wimp, stated that there should be no racial profiling of young, well-educate Arabs carrying knoves, bombs, and other means of destruction. And now, of course, this crazy suicidal policy is being enforced by Abu Hussein from Kenya, our Community Organizer-in-Chief, who also wants to unionize the "security" personnel at airports.
led miner headlamp | 11.25.10 @ 1:42AM
In short, just as we still rely on nation-states for international security, we must still rely on national governments to protect individual rights. Your freedom still depends on where you live.
Carner York| 1.15.10 @ 3:10PM
Excellent point and sadly something that will never happen in the U.S. because our leaders are more concerned with the dictates of PC rather than safety. Perhaps one realistic solution would be to greatly increase the number of bomb sniffing dogs in airports. I would have each passenger thoroughly inspected by a trained dog. Seems to me that this would be much more effective than scanning and much less intrusive.
dum&dummer;| 1.15.10 @ 5:10PM
ret. marine, i love you man, but please learn how to spell. i totally agree with most of your posts, but the spelling drives me nuts.
Ret. Marine| 1.16.10 @ 7:22AM
I'm too lazy these days. I try to get my thoughts down fast in order to get it straight. Screw the spelling, it's more fun antagonizing individuals like yourself. Thank you very mulch.
Stephanie Gutmann| 1.15.10 @ 6:03PM
@Ed. I'm glad to hear about your experience with the TSA in Maui. Now, the acid test of this particular TSA unit's level of enlightenment would come when and if they attempted to pull someone in one of the protected categories (er...that would be a young Arab man) aside for secondary screening. Having instincts is the first step, being allowed to act on them, even if they prove to have been a false lead, is the second step.
BREDNG10| 1.15.10 @ 6:05PM
All this makes sense.Ask questions,look him in the eyes,get a handle or read on the individual.One or two or a dozen suicide bombers can do a lot of damage and bring alot of planes down.
WHY IN THE HELL didn`t we do this 18 months ago???How did we elect someone brung up by a communist father/step father in a foriegn land(indonesia),taught to hate America and probably a muslem also?He can do alot more damage than a hundred shoe or bvd bombers!!!
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David H| 1.15.10 @ 9:33PM
Every time I wait at the gate before I board my flight, I do my own security check. I purposely wait to board until the end, meanwhile I inspect any and all "suspicious looking" passengers.
When I find one, I go right up to them, get their attention, and look into their eyes. I'll do this for several seconds, just so they know that I know.
Of course I've never caught a terrorist, and I've undoubtedly made many of these "profilees" uncomfortable, but it really puts me at ease.
harry marks| 2.4.10 @ 9:43AM
David...get a grip!...man!(shaking head)
Alan Brooks| 1.15.10 @ 10:30PM
If the GOP doesn't like Obama, why don't they run better candidates for POTUS?
UpChuck.Liberals| 1.15.10 @ 11:26PM
Because until the GOP gets their collective heads out of their collective asses and head for a smaller tent it ain't gonna happen. Most folks are naturally conservative but want to help others. Instead of appealing to those that want to be on the dole, appeal to those that want to kick their sorry asses to get some motivation other than milking the system that thinks it's a damn cow.
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Jim O'Brien| 1.16.10 @ 11:44AM
The U.S. should hire El Al to run the TSA. But of course that would never happen under the ignorant Obama, Clinton, et. al. , who think Israel is the "problem" in the Middle East.
El Al profiles based on common sense. If you speak Hebrew, you are unlikely to be a terrorist. If you are an American citizen, ditto. If you are a young black Muslim male with no baggage, and paid cash for a one way ticket to Detroit, then just maybe you're a problem. DUH.
Thom| 1.16.10 @ 6:01PM
I used to love to fly but that feeling went away long before 9/11. Recently I flew out of my local regional airport to and back through one of the US’s busiest airports. In both cases I did not have my toilet items in a plastic bag for some TSA agent to glance at. They were in my bags which just like the quart plastic bag goes through the same scanner the rest does. I’ve known from the get go that having people put their toilet items in a clear plastic bag to show the TSA agents is all about shaking the tree to see what falls out but still it is a non sense approach to actual security. My regulation tooth paste, shaving cream is easily enough volume to blow a rather large hole in any pressurized aircraft. People are the problem and our rather expensive and intrusive methods also happen to not be very effective as demonstrated.
On this particular trip the traffic level through the normally really busy airport was very light so the agents had time on their hands but given the way TSA is structured at such airports it would add an hour to what is already a mad house to implement Israeli methods. In this particular airport it is common during rush hours to have upwards of 1000 people huddled into close quarters making any kind of domestic bomber’s job real easy. It doesn’t even have to be a suicide bomber to get a very large bang for the buck. Like one poster said, I do my own security check when in an airport these days. The security scanner checkpoints are one of the most dangerous places in the world to hang around.
I’m sure the TSA is proud of the pocket knives, 4 oz containers of tooth paste, shaving cream, shampoo and alike it has kept off airlines since people claiming to have bombs flew airliners into buildings killing nearly 3000 people in exchange for 19 of theirs. Given one terrorist has already tried to hide explosives in his body cavity what is going to be their likely response to a successful attempt at that? Nothing short of flying naked and having complete body cavity searches is going to keep 3-6 ozes of high tech explosive off airlines by passengers. It will happen simply because technology makes it possible. We are not going to solve this problem with technology as we are trying desperately to do. If you don’t know your enemy you will continue to be taken for a fool as the Christmas Day attempted attack makes so very clear.
Yehudit| 1.16.10 @ 11:40PM
I dont know if you can teach any of this to the average TSA employee, or even to the kind of employee they would attract if they pay more. Every Israeli screener has been through the Israeli Army. They have all endured that kind of discipline, know how to handle and use firearms, have played war games if not actually been in combat, or have worked checkpoints, can work well with others, and have some kind of technical expertise.
I think this kind of background matters a lot when you are screening for bad guys. I bet a 22 year old right out of army training can do this better than a 40 year old practicing therapist. I think the best TSA screeners would be people with military and police training.
Sharon| 1.17.10 @ 8:28AM
Yehudit wrote an excellent comment. I would just add this: by the time the average Israeli teenager gets to the army, they've had a lifetime of of training in paying attention. Even small children are taught to be aware of bags that don't belong to anyone.
El Al security personnel take their job very seriously. They are all too aware of the horror and realism of terrorism. They also feel a kinship with the people getting on the plane and a desire to protect them. And even when the security personnel are "annoying," Israelis tend to be grateful that they're paying such close attention. On a recent trip back from Los Angeles via New York, I couldn't find the receipt for the bag I'd checked in LAX. The security agent wouldn't let me proceed to boarding without it. Even as I rooted around in my pockets, I was more than thankful that she was doing her job well.
kevin | 1.17.10 @ 9:15AM
i need to fly to las vegas for a seminar and quite frankly, i'm terrified.
Obama: A year later, I still think the guy is a commie wus.
Christopher Holland| 1.17.10 @ 8:37PM
Israeli methods will never be adopted in the US because you are addicted to the ridiculous idea that Islam is a religion of peace and terrorism is the work of isolated individuals. To use Israeli methods means abandoning these shiboleths and that won't happen in a million years. George W bush didn't do it in 8 years and Obama couldn't do it he lived a hundred lifetimes. Mainstream American political thought simply does not work like that.
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Dag| 1.17.10 @ 10:12PM
America needs a wake up call. What professional law enforcement people used to call " good police work" is now called racial profiling and frowned upon.
Unfortunately today the USA does not have the guts to do what is necessary. We worry too much about what others may think and ignore exactly that which needs to be done.
Someone has to wake up and save the USA from it's self.
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Reinhard| 1.19.10 @ 9:23AM
Our lack of discipline at following our own security protocols is a serious problem. One-way cash ticket, no luggage, and the guy still gets on the plane? Why can't the airline check-in systems flag this simple combination and alert security for a "second look"?
My Aunt in Germany has just declined to attend my daughters wedding because she's scared to get on a plane to the U.S. It's sad because she has visited us before, but is not worried about bombs on planes.
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At the airport in Amsterdam where Umar Mutallab was enabled and had a free pass to getting on the plane, who and what agency oversee the security at this airport? See the following:
ICTS is the main security vendor for the European operations of Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines. We are also the sole provider of security services at all of American Airlines’ and US Airways European stations. [Note: As WRH assesses the terrorist plot at Amsteram Airport this is what it had to say: People are already asking how Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab was able to get onto an airplane in Amsterdam bound for Detroit with a bomb strapped to his leg when the Amsterdam airport uses the full-body "see your naked butt" scanners. As it turns out, security at the Amsterdam airport is run by ICTS, THE VERY SAME ISRAELI-OWNED COMPANY THAT RAN SECURITY AT EVERY SINGLE AIRPORT FROM WHICH THE 9-11 TERRORISTS DEPARTED, APPARENTLY ALSO BYPASSING SECURITY CHECKS!]
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Goodwin | 9.15.11 @ 11:48AM
Wow, their methods sound pretty intense. I feel like I would be nervous talking to any of the security officers given my knowledge of the way they profile people. I get jittery going through airport security just wondering if I've left a bottle of water or anything in my carry-on so I can't imagine what a nervous wreck I'd be travelling throughout Israel.
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