Desperate
situation calls for desperate solutions
By WAYNE ANDERSON
Published Tuesday, December 3, 2002
The checkpoints aren’t keeping suicide bombers out of Israel, so a new
method of defense is being tried. Ordinary citizens are being trained to disarm
suicide bombers, and the process is interesting.
First they must learn to spot someone who might have a bomb on his or her body.
Two persons must then coordinate the disarming because the main thing is to
keep the bomber’s fingers off the detonator. Each of the defenders rushes
at the suspect and grabs an arm, at the same time throwing the suspect to the
ground. If there is a bomb, the defenders are taught to break the suspect’s
arms and, if he continues to struggle, to bite through the carotid artery in
the throat.
Checkpoints
Checkpoints might be anywhere but are usually at entrances to the West Bank
and to the Gaza Strip. The soldiers doing the processing are usually young,
probably 18 or 19, and are given tremendous discretionary powers. They carry
U.S. M-16 rifles, wear armored vests and are obviously a bit jumpy. The danger
to them is real, and they are often targets of choice.
As a psychologist, I was traveling with a five-member team from MU’s
International Center for Psychosocial Trauma to run training programs for mental
health workers in Palestine.
We did not find the soldiers warm and friendly; instead there were often questions
about whether we should be allowed to pass.
On the road from Jerusalem to Ramallah, the team put me in the front seat of
the Red Cross van on the premise that I’m an older male, look very American
and non-threatening. We were told that being Americans carries no weight and
were instructed to get our papers out to prove we had a right to enter the
area. A letter from the International Red Cross with our names and passport
numbers finally proved to be the key that allowed us to pass.
The group of Palestinians from Gaza we had trained in Cairo in August were
kept waiting outside the checkpoint for four days and had to sleep on the ground.
At the checkpoint for getting into the Gaza Strip we had to transfer our baggage
and ourselves to a different van. Although we were put through the process
as VIPs, it took considerable time to check us out. Our electronic equipment
used for instantaneous translations arrived at our program late because of
the care taken in making sure it wouldn’t or couldn’t be used to
create weapons.
One of the young Israeli soldiers we met at that checkpoint had been raised
in Canada and said he didn’t approve of what either side was doing.
Anticipatory eradication
One of my informants from the Red Crescent - similar to the Red Cross - said
the Israelis attack anyplace their intelligence tells them might be making
weapons or bombs that Palestinian terrorists might use. They will also attack
any place suspected of hiding terrorists. The usual procedure is for Apache
helicopters to shoot rockets at the main target while a group of up to 30 tanks
patrols the streets shooting machine guns.
How do the Israelis know where to attack? My informants said Palestinians have
many small workshops where handicrafts are made. The Israelis will decide that
one of them is producing weapons. They usually warn the occupants that the
building is about to be destroyed so they have time to escape, but not to rescue
any belongings or tools.
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