A recent article on terrorism noted there was a lot for the U.S. to learn about security from a country that, ever since its 1948 founding, has had to deal with this threat daily—Israel. Despite the October 7, 2023 surprise raid into the country by the terrorist group Hamas that led to the murders of 1,200 innocent civilians and the kidnapping of 251 hostages, it is a nation that still has managed to establish the gold standard when it comes to security, especially aviation security. The article criticized U.S. airport security for lacking the efficiency and effectiveness Israel has achieved.
Israel’s aviation security for its El Al airlines was designed by a team of experts including a former IDF officer, Arik Arad. So good was he at it, Arad was also given responsibility for designing security for the country’s shopping malls. Perhaps the greatest tribute to the talents of these experts is that there has never been a successful terrorist penetration of either system.
Israeli security personnel have a good sense of observation, but in the aviation sector, they seem to have developed an additional keen sense as well. While U.S. security personnel tend to rely more on…
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