India, US learning from Israel’s border security

Growing number of countries flock to Israel to study construction of Egypt border fence;.

By YAAKOV KATZ
Border between Israel, Egypt along Road 12 (photo credit: REUTERS)
Border between Israel, Egypt along Road 12
(photo credit: REUTERS)
A growing number of countries are flocking to Israel to study border security as the Defense Ministry works to complete the construction of a physical and technological barrier along the Egyptian border.
In August, a delegation from India will arrive to study the various technologies used by the IDF to secure the borders with the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Egypt, and which could be implemented as part of India’s own fence with Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The interest in Israeli border security has spiked since Israel began constructing a barrier along its border with Egypt to stem terrorism and infiltrations by illegal migrants. The Defense Ministry and IDF have so far completed about 150 km, of the fence; plans are to complete the remainder by the end of the year.
The fence is 5 meters in height and layered with barbed wire. It is supported by dozens of radars that are deployed along the border to issue alerts about possible crossings while the potential infiltrators are still kilometers away.
Israel’s primary concern is with the growing number of terror attacks along the border. Last week, shots were fired at a bus carrying IDF soldiers. While there was damage to the bus, no one was wounded. On June 18, terrorists crossed into Israel from Sinai and killed an Israeli contractor working on the border fence, while last August eight Israelis were killed in a cross-border attack.
India is interested in beefing up its border security to prevent future incidents like the Mumbai attacks in 2008.
The Indian press reported Sunday on a tunnel that had been discovered under the border with Pakistan in the contested Kashmir region.
Another country closely following Israel’s decisions on border security is the US, which is building a barrier along its border with Mexico.
The Department of Homeland Security is, for example, testing the ELM-2112 family of persistent ground surveillance radars, developed by Elta Systems, a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries, and used by the IDF to detect intruders before they reach the border.
Five different versions detect individuals at ranges from 300 m. up to 20 km., and vehicles at up to 40 km.
The radars feature four stationary antennas, each covering a 90-degree sector enabling persistent surveillance and tracking over a wide area.
Several radars can be integrated into a single network to provide an integrated picture of a border area. In addition, the command-and- control interface features icons resembling an animal, vehicle or person based on the target detected by the radar.