Israelis patient with US fingerprinting

JPost ^ | Jan. 8, 2004 | MELISSA RADLER

[klpt]

Israelis were among the thousands of international travelers fingerprinted and photographed at US airports this week in a new effort to halt terrorism.

Like most foreign visitors who arrived this week at 115 airports and 14 cruise-ship ports participating in the US Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) program, Israelis who landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Tuesday from Tel Aviv said the new process is an understandable response to terrorist threats.

"If it's good for security, it's okay," said Momi Kedem, who described the process of placing his index finger on a biometric scanner as quick and easy.

Shany Yashar, 25, who is visiting friends in New York, said the process was so swift that she suggested that domestic travelers as well should undergo the new security check.

In a pilot program in Atlanta that screened 20,000 passengers, US-VISIT nabbed 21 people wanted on charges such as rape, drug dealing, and immigration fraud.

Even Kofi Annan, the Secretary-General of the United Nations who has openly deplored US security measures in the past, had no complaints this week.

"I know that in the past some of our colleagues from the Middle East with Islamic names have had problems and they have been detained sometimes at the airport, but apart from that I haven't heard anything about" the program, he told reporters on Tuesday.

US-VISIT, which will cost the federal government some $370 million annually, will photograph and fingerprint an estimated 24 million travelers this year. Currently in effect at airports and seaports, the program will be expanded to all land crossings by 2005.

Visitors from 27 nations that do not need visas to enter the US for stays of up to 90 days – including Australia, Japan, Singapore and most European nations – are exempt from the check.

But the Israelis at Kennedy airport said they were not upset to be excluded from the list. Governments today have to take precautions said Asi Barash, 34. "I don't know if it's going to work, I don't think it's so helpful, but they have to show they're doing something," he said.

[dagnabbit]

[Kofi Annan:] I know that in the past some of our colleagues from the Middle East with Islamic names have had problems and they have been detained sometimes at the airport

And might that, maybe be because some of their similarly-named co-religionists murdered 3,000 Americans on a nice September morning down the street from your office, Asshat?

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[Atlantic Friend]

Truly, there should not be any exception. Exceptions are quite insulting for the vast majority of law-abiding citizens, and what use has a shield with 28 holes in it ?

In fact, I'd like the system to be generalized worldwide, and applied to all passengers. For what I have seen on French TV, the process seems very quick, and very respectful of the passenger's dignity.

[hershey]

We have to do whatever it takes because no matter how unpopular our measures might be with others, noone else will protect us. On a side note, if anyone caught Charlie Rose's program late last night on PBS, although Alex Baldwin was advertised, I turned in late, happily, and missed him. Instead, Richard Perle and David Frum were his guests. They've cowritten a book, can't remember the title...something like Defeating Evil of Terrorism. Both were allowed to talk and did so with great clarity. Rose tried to pin the 'there never were WMD's in Iraq' and the admininstration's reason for invading Iraq morphed along the way from simple regime change to imminent danger from WMD's. Perle refuted that, said we will find the weapons even if they're hidden in Syria. If Syria, Libya, and Iran, also Saudi's and Arab Emirates don't stop funding terrorism, we will take strong measures, perhaps embargos and freezing assets (doesn't have to be armed invasion, the last resort). Only one question about Palestine/Israel mess. Perle felt that if we put men on the ground to facilitate establishment of Palestine state, Hamas and other fanatics will continue to murder Israeli's ad infinitum and we'll end up feeding hatred of the West. He also thought terrorists' call for a Palestine state was an excuse for violence against US. Sobering, realistic view of what's going on and what we need to do. Charlie Rose kept his liberal mindset pretty well at bay and let both men talk.

[Dr. Marten]

"If it's good for security, it's okay,"

What a sucker!!

I wonder how long before the UN and other defunct disorganizations want access to the ID database being
created by these measures...how long before it is expanded to include US citizens?

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on or off this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

[mvpel]

You should see what the Israelis do for security. It's amazing how people blowing themselves up puts a few probing questions from armed officers into perspective.

[WaterDragon]

Given a choice, I'd fly El Al any day, for security!