Comparing International Emergency Management Operations

Israel’s Zero Tolerance Policy

Israel has been subject to attacks and terrorism for a very long time and has developed a zero tolerance policy, which was started in 1948 with the Ordinance Against Terrorism to deal with Palestinian threats. Israel’s zero tolerance policy toward terrorism is much noted in its response to the Munich Olympic attack in 1972. The Mossad, the Israeli secret service, and intelligence service coordinated reprisal assassinations on the Palestinian group Black September and the Palastine Liberation Organization. The operation is thought to have lasted over 20 years, but because of the secret nature of the operation, Israel has never confirmed the length of the operation. Israel also, through its military and Mossad, coordinated a rescue raid in June 1976 at Entebbe, Uganda against Palestinian and German terrorist who had hijacked an Air France flight. The terrorist demanded the release to Palestinian terrorists, but Israel did not negotiate and in a commando operation killed all the terrorists and rescued almost all of the hostages.

Israel also has very extensive security, specifically around airports. Any particular traveler can be asked a series of questions, and any uneasiness or nervousness can have that person questioned further. On top of all of that, passports are checked extensively. Luggage is identified to each passenger and people traveling together are sometimes separated and questioned to match coinciding stories. Baggage passes through the typical metal and X-ray detectors and is also placed into a compression changer to detonate any possible bomb fuses for extra security (Terrorism: How have, 2009).

Israel also has trained agents on aircrafts to stop any attempt at hijacking aircrafts. America has adapted a similar method by using more U.S air marshals than it did before September 11, 2001.

Israel also has a very extensive security border. This border separates the West Bank from major populated areas in Israel and is said to have stopped many terrorists and threats to Israel. The security border is littered with checkpoints as well as some suspicious people (Howard, Sawyer, and Bajema, 2009).

Would the United States ever enforce a policy like that of Israel? Would converting to some of the extreme measures or the zero tolerance policy that Israel uses to counter terrorism be beneficial to the United States? In most cases, some of these policies might bend or break constitutional rights, so the United States needs to be careful on what it can and cannot adapt. It is in good practice to see what works for other nations and try to adapt to them for the safety of your own, but you also need to remember that the laws and rights in the United States are different from those of other nations. References

Howard, D. R., Sawyer, L. R., & Bajema, E. N. (2009). Terrorism and counterterrorism: Understanding the new security environment, readings, and

interpretations (3rd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Terrorism: How have other countries handled it? (2009). Retrieved April 23, 2009, from the Constitutional Rights Foundation Web site: http://www.crf- usa.org/america-responds-to-terrorism/terrorism-how-have-other-countries- handled-it.html