The recently failed airline Christmas terror attack led to significant revisions in Transportation Security Administration travel guidelines and turned all eyes toward Israel as a model for security. Due to the multi-pronged threats facing Israel, security officials in the country use strict personal and baggage screening systems that led Ben Gurion Airport outside of Tel Aviv to receive the distinction of being among the safest airline facilities in the world.
The New York Times held an online forum on the Israeli model that broached a variety of concepts, including privacy concerns and whether the model used in Israel could be used on a larger scale in the United States.
Officials from a variety of countries, including Canada, mentioned the Israeli model as enhancing security and addressed some of the uncomfortable aspects of Israeli security.
Many travelers to Israel complain about the potentially excessive security requirements at the airport. Israeli security often asks passengers on the purpose of their visit, whether they have family in Israel, and what synagogue they attend back home. These questions often weed-out travelers with no Jewish identity that could lead to additional screening of those passengers.
Further, Israeli security officials make no apologies for using profiling in security decisions. Arabs, especially, receive the bulk of scrutiny from security, with officials regularly hand-checking both carry-on and stored baggage.
In fact, the recently proposed TSA guidelines regarding increased scrutiny for individuals countries mirrors Israeli security efforts. Instead of placing simply Arabs under additional scrutiny, the new Obama administration guidelines focus on countries regarded as terror safe havens, such as Nigeria and Yemen. Individuals traveling from or through those countries receive additional physical inspection prior to boarding the aircraft.
Profiling certain groups is quite a controversial issue, but Israelis stand by the notion that security procedures at Ben Gurion Airport keep the facility safe.
Amidst concern regarding racial profiling, former Department of Homeland Security Undersecretary of Science and Technology Jay Cohen initiated a program at the agency to develop behavioral profiling devices. The technology would scan travelers for certain physical signs related to individuals planning a pending terror attack. The agency had not determined the specfic symptoms, but considered increased perspiration or heart rate as potential identifiers. (Disclosure: As a journalist, I covered DHS until mid-2007. I do not know whether the agency pursued this idea any further.)
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