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Israel Asks Arab Visitors To Open Emails To Search
(Monday, June 4th, 2012)
When Sandra Tamari arrived at Israel’s international airport, she received an unusual request: A security agent pushed a computer screen in front of her, connected to Gmail and told her to “log in.”
The agent, suspecting Tamari was involved in pro-Palestinian activism, wanted to inspect her private email account for incriminating evidence. The 42-year-old American of Palestinian descent refused and was swiftly expelled from the country.
Tamari’s experience is not unique. In a cyber-age twist on Israel’s vaunted history of airport security, the country has begun to force incoming travelers deemed suspicious to open personal email accounts for inspection, visitors say.
Targeting mainly Muslims or Arabs, the practice appears to be aimed at rooting out visitors who have histories of pro-Palestinian activism, and in recent weeks, has led to the expulsion of at least three American women.
It remains unclear how widespread the practice is.
However, asked about Tamari’s claims, the Shin Bet security agency confirmed she had been interrogated and said its agents acted in accordance with the law.
Israel has a long history of using ethnic profiling, calling it a necessary evil resulting from its bitter experience with terrorist attacks. Arab travelers and anyone else seen as a risk are often subjected to intense questioning and invasive inspections, including strip searches.
Based on what I know of the participants here at C-D in the politics forum, I know this thread will quickly devolve into accusing the Israeli's of being monsters... But I wonder if there are a few of you level headed people who can admire the fact that the Israeli's are not the least bit afraid of using unusual practices, even politically incorrect racial profiling, to ensure their neighbors do not infiltrate their tiny little nation with their nefarious ambitions.
What is wrong with profiling? I can guarantee that every single person reading this forum has profiled someone. Isn't diversity just a politically correct way of profiling too? I cannot for the life of me understand why profiling would be bad? If you said we are looking for a man of arab descent who is supected of terrorism, you have just profiled not only Arabs but men too. But it is fine when liberals want to profile people in order to get them admitted to some college as they feel they are championing the underdog.
Not surprising that an apartheid regime like Israel would think this is OK.
Ahhh, Sco, you beat my private over/under for an apartheid quip. Well done! You beat expectations... You should be proud of yourself. Call your mom and let her know how accomplished you really are.
I see nothing wrong with profiling if there is statistical evidence that points that one group is much more likely to commit a crime than another group. The evidence should based on quantifiable evidence and not stereotypes.
Israel has this one right...even a broken clock is right twice a day.
I understand the Israeli "TSA" also uses this brilliant tactic when screening passengers for flights: If a man or woman boards a plane with their own children joining them for the flight, they let them pass straight onto the plane without so much as running their bags through an X-ray. Bring your kids, and it's a get on the flight free card. The logic being that even terrorists will not blow up a flight with their own kids in tow.
I'm just impressed with people who do the smart thing, as opposed to the politically correct thing. Call the Israeli's racial profilers...who cares? At least their flights are safe.
I understand the Israeli "TSA" also uses this brilliant tactic when screening passengers for flights: If a man or woman boards a plane with their own children joining them for the flight, they let them pass straight onto the plane without so much as running their bags through an X-ray. Bring your kids, and it's a get on the flight free card. The logic being that even terrorists will not blow up a flight with their own kids in tow.
I'm just impressed with people who do the smart thing, as opposed to the politically correct thing. Call the Israeli's racial profilers...who cares? At least their flights are safe.
Like I said. I see nothing wrong with profiling as long as their is quantifiable evidence to support it. With that in mind, I think all Israelis who are in the U.S. on Visas should have their phones and hotels bugged as we know their are Israeli spies operating in the U.S.
Israel, as any other country, has its own laws. It is not governed by the laws of the US. Sandra Tamari entered Israel knowing full well that she would be most likely be refused entrance. As per her own statement of why she was there:
Quote:
Tamari, who is from St. Louis, said she arrived in Israel on May 21 to participate in an interfaith conference. She described herself as a Quaker .... and acknowledged taking part in campaigns calling for boycotts and divestment from Israel.
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Sandra Tamari, a member of the St. Louis Palestine Solidarity Committee......
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Tamari, a vocal advocate for Palestinian rights and the ending of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory, was attempting to travel to ..... West Bank to participate in an interfaith delegation
Israeli authorities might consider as Palestinian anyone who has a Palestinian identification number, was born in the West Bank or Gaza, or was born in the United States but has parents or grandparents who were born or lived in the West Bank or Gaza. Any such U.S. citizen might be required by the Government of Israel to travel to Israel using a PA passport. Without the PA passport, such U.S. citizens might be barred from entering or exiting Israel, the West Bank, or Gaza, or they may face serious delays at the ports of entry.At the Allenby crossing between Jordan and the West Bank, however, Palestinian-Americans may depart using a PA identity card and a PA exit permit, provided they have a Jordanian visa in their U.S. passport.
Individuals who hold a PA ID, as well as persons judged by Israeli authorities to have claim to a PA ID by virtue of ancestry, will be considered subject to Israeli law and to regulations that Israel applies to residents of the West Bank and Gaza, regardless of whether they also hold U.S. citizenship. In most cases, such individuals will be required by Israeli authorities to enter the West Bank via the Allenby Bridge (also known as King Hussein Bridge) crossing with Jordan, rather than via Ben Gurion International Airport, unless they obtain advance permission from an Israeli embassy or consulate for that purpose.
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