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Israeli security expert takes pride in his role at the Olympics By Yossi Melman Tags: Israel, China  A day before the Olympic Games opened, Leo Gleser, owner and managing director of International Security and Defense Systems can observe the Beijing National Stadium with pride and satisfaction. As the only Israeli who succeeded in taking part in securing the Olympic Games, Gleser tells Haaretz, "I'm proud to be the owner of an Israeli company and to be here with my workers despite all the difficulties." At first it seemed like a mission impossible. When China began preparing for the Games it was averse to use any foreign companies. The Defense Ministry, whose permission is required for the sale of any defense equipment or know-how, also opposed the project. It did not want to anger the United States, which is adamant in its objection to Israel's selling China weapons or other equipment. Advertisement The Defense Ministry extended the American ban not only to weapon sales but to selling know-how, consultation and training services to China. The Chinese and American objections deterred all the Israeli companies that were interested in taking part in the project. Even ex-Mossad chief Shabtai Shavit, then the owner of Athena Human & Technology Integrated Solutions and today managing director of C.Mer Industries, decided about a year and a half ago he had no chance at it and stepped down. Gleser, on the other hand, didn't stop trying. He flew repeatedly to China, met delegations who came to Israel and did everything he could to get even a small piece of the Chinese Olympic security pie, estimated at some $4 billion. Gleser's previous experience - ISDS had been involved in securing the Olympic Games in Barcelona in 1992, Sidney in 2000 and Athens in 2004 - was seen to have some weight and finally in 2007 he made his first breakthrough. Chinese security companies, serving as subcontractors for the Beijing Olympics organizing committee, approached him. "These were relatively small contracts, mainly for holding seminars and study days," he says. The turning point came in March 2008, following several terror attacks, including a suicide bomber's attempt to blow up an aircraft and an attack on a bus in Shanghai. Alarmed, the Chinese government realized that it needed help from overseas after all. Gleser was asked to provide know-how and situation reports about international terror, mainly regarding threats of extremist Muslim groups in Asia. Gleser employed several Israeli experts, including Yoram Schweitzer of the Institue for National Security Studies and Boaz Ganor of the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya. The Chinese see the East Turkmenistan Islamic Party as the main terror threat to the Olympic Games. This group, which is active among the the Uighur minority in Turkmenistan, is believed to have carried out this week's attack some 3,000 kilometers west of Beijing, in which 16 policemen were killed. But the Chinese are prepared for every possible threat, no matter how unlikely. They have set up an anti-aircraft missile battery to protect the Olympic village during the opening ceremony, just in case terrorists should hijack a plane and try to crash into the Bird's Nest stadium. ISDS has also trained policemen and security officers in Shanghai and Beijing to handle a terror attack or a provocation intended to disrupt or sabotage the Games. "The Chinese fear, among other things, that some demonstrators' group might try to take advantage of the worldwide attention to carry out a non-violent but provocative act to disgrace the Chinese organizers," Gleser says. ISDS' people impressed on the Chinese to avoid over reacting and not to use their full force, to avoid causing even greater harm. It's important to display reasonable, moderate force in dealing with an event, he says. Gleser, who maintains close ties with Australian and American officials working with the Olympics' organizing committee, hopes that all the hard work will ensure that today's opening ceremony and the rest of the Games pass uneventfully. Related articles: Beijing's only Kosher restaurant mulls second branch ahead of Olympics Beijing 2008 / Israel sending 38 athletes to Olympics Bookmark to del.icio.us   Going for the gold Israel's athletes made a forceful debut on the opening day of the Olympic Games. Cooking vs. driving As Ramadan nears, Hamas bans the use of cooking gas to fuel vehicles in the Gaza Strip.   1.   It figures 04:32  |  sol kashberg 08/08/08   2.   identification 05:41  |  RePe 08/08/08   3.   Identity 2-Correction to Melman article 08:21  |  RePe 08/08/08

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