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Israelis waiting at a hitchhiking stop outside the West Bank settlement of Ofra. (Eyal Warshavsky / Bau Bau)
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IDF to secure hitchhikers in West Bank with new surveillance
By Yuval Azoulay, Haaretz Correspondent

In an effort to bolster Israeli hitchhikers' security in the West Bank, the Israel Defense Forces has decided to install electronic surveillance and other equipment in at least 10 major stops frequented by settlers along Road 60.

The issue of securing Israelis in the territories is one that has consistently troubled the security forces, which recognize that civilians, lured by the relative calm in the West Bank into taking risks, are "soft targets" for militants.

The hitchhiker stops that the IDF plans to secure at a cost of NIS 2 million are mostly along Road 60 and are situated close to many of the larger West Bank settlements.

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In addition to the installation of surveillance cameras that will film vehicles passing on both sides of the route, an electronic communications system will allow hitchhikers in danger to call for help. Their call will be received at the nearest army guard post, usually near the settlement several hundred meters away.

In addition, the minute the emergency button is pressed, a light on the stop's roof will turn on, attracting the attention of passersby and security personnel. The stop near Ofra was equipped with these emergency systems two months ago, but the current plan calls for installing equipment near the junctions of Tapuah, Rahelim, Shilo, Eli, Gush Etzion, Kiryat Araba, Etaniel and others.

"We will be able to have the response time that we have been lacking during kidnappings," a military source said yesterday. "We will be able to respond quickly, set up roadblocks, chase [perpetrators] and alert the whole area. At this time, we do not have this capability," he added.

The popularity of hitchhiking as a means of transportation among settler youth has been central to the security concerns of officers in the Central Command - a great deal more than fears of a possible attack against a settlement.

Central Command sources say the relative calm in the West Bank is deceptive and many attempts to carry out terrorist attacks are being prevented by special forces operating in Palestinian towns.

The construction of the separation fence, the creation of semi-permanent firing along main roads, and the creation of special security zones in the same areas, have led Palestinian militants to focus more on kidnapping Israelis.

"They recognize the kind of trauma that Israel experiences in cases of a kidnapping, and they are interested in having something to exchange for Palestinians held in prisons," a senior officer said yesterday in explaining the motivation of the militants.

The nonchalance with which Israelis approach this threat makes them "easy prey" according to army officers.

For example, a story released for publication last week held that Daud Zbeidi, brother of the former fugitive head of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, had planned to kidnap an Israeli woman visiting the territories in search of cheap charcoal.

Zbeidi, who had been arrested in an IDF operation in late May, revealed this information to the Shin Bet security service, which acknowledged it had been completely ignorant of the woman's movements and the militants' plans.

The Breslav Hassidim and right-wing activist have also returned to areas frequented prior to the outbreak of the intifada in September 2000. The Hassidim sneak into Nablus and Joseph's Tomb, and the right-wing activists want to climb to the ruins of the settlement of Homesh.

"The days when anyone who wanted to go in there could do so, are over," a senior officer said. "We will make special arrangements for the Hassidim who want to visit the tomb, in a coordinated, secure way - assuming it does not affect other operations."
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  1.   What a joke 06:32  |  steve 20/08/07
  2.   I wonder about settler mothers 07:23  |  Rivka 20/08/07
  3.   Israelis should be encouraged to arm themselves. 07:43  |  Tess 20/08/07
  4.   #2, Rivka 07:59  |  Silvienne 20/08/07
  5.   #1, Steve 08:01  |  Silvienne 20/08/07
  6.   #3, Tess 08:02  |  Silvienne 20/08/07
  7.   not only youth must hitchhike 08:48  |  Batya 20/08/07
  8.   Steve #1 08:54  |  GeneRx 20/08/07
  9.   If settlers are allowed to carry guns, why is it that Shai Dromi, 09:30  |  Gary 20/08/07
  10.   Silvienne & Rivka you generalise 09:32  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 20/08/07
  11.   Steve 10:07  |  Barry 20/08/07
  12.   THE REMEDY REMAINS THE SAME 10:20  |  paul harris 20/08/07
  13.   Disgusting, anti-Semitic talkbacks 10:31  |  Andras Bereny 20/08/07
  14.   JUST DONT GO THE WB 10:33  |  indrajaya 20/08/07
  15.   #14 why not forbid indrajaya to post in haaretz 10:38  |  victor hardman 20/08/07
  16.   reply to Gary 10:39  |  Rebecka 20/08/07
  17.   to #1 Steve 10:44  |  Lavy 20/08/07
  18.   to #14 Indrajaya 10:52  |  Lavy 20/08/07
  19.   indrajaya is RIGHT 10:56  |  Neil 20/08/07
  20.   #1 Judenrein territory 10:59  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 20/08/07
  21.   reply to Gary 11:04  |  Rebecka 20/08/07
  22.   Big Brother 11:38  |  Thinkpad 20/08/07
  23.   secure them... 11:40  |  ravi 20/08/07
  24.   Margie #18 11:50  |  Guido 20/08/07
  25.   Israelis should be encouraged to arm themselves 11:54  |  Yaz 20/08/07
  26.   WB is not ISRAEL 12:12  |  indrajaya 20/08/07
  27.   Guido 12:26  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 20/08/07
  28.   Plenty of money ... 12:52  |  Frustrated 20/08/07
  29.   margie #27 13:18  |  Guido 20/08/07
  30.   indrajaya No. 26 13:19  |  Neil 20/08/07
  31.   Yhile Pals rot idling at myriad IDF checkpointrs 13:32  |  Victor 20/08/07
  32.   #31 lucky you victor you never lived in belfast 13:59  |  victor hardman 20/08/07
  33.   Guido: who is a racist 14:05  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 20/08/07
  34.   Victor: Terrorists are sick 14:07  |  Jy praat twak 20/08/07
  35.   Jy praat twak 15:20  |  Victor 20/08/07
  36.   #27 Guido/Margie: No equivalency 15:23  |  Jasmine Murphy 20/08/07
  37.   Jy praat twak 15:24  |  Victor 20/08/07
  38.   Margie #32 15:28  |  Guido 20/08/07
  39.   hiking in occupied territory 15:39  |  rose 20/08/07
  40.   Hitching 16:14  |  * BEN JABO 20/08/07
  41.   #15 victor hardman - Ha`Aretz thrives on 16:24  |  * BEN JABO 20/08/07
  42.   #31 Victor 16:27  |  * BEN JABO 20/08/07
  43.   why do ot you kill the Palestinians with laser 16:41  |  mehmet 20/08/07
  44.   Let,s see how those non existant Palestinians are doing. 16:49  |  Labhras 20/08/07
  45.   #29 Guido re Margie in TA (Ex SA). 17:04  |  Labhras 20/08/07
  46.   Why so many hitch hikers? 17:06  |  Palestinian Brit 20/08/07
  47.   There you`ve the leftist mentality poisoning IDF 17:11  |  Joseph E . 20/08/07
  48.   #38 no labarse the solution is for the arabs 17:37  |  victor hardman 20/08/07
  49.   $27 Margie in TA(Ex SA) 17:39  |  Labhras 20/08/07
  50.   #40 Big-OT in "bed"-fast 18:58  |  Labhras 20/08/07
  51.   #40 Pal Brit: you seem to be implying danger of violence 19:02  |  Jasmine Murphy 20/08/07
  52.   Labhratty the self declared racist 19:31  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 20/08/07
  53.   Labhras re Margie -Jews in a palestinian state. 19:39  |  Jasmine Murphy 20/08/07
  54.   Hardman with a hard brain 20:33  |  Tamir Palestine 20/08/07
  55.   "52 Jasmine blowing in her mind 21:03  |  Labhras 20/08/07
  56.   #32 Big -OTin Bed-fast 21:44  |  Labhras 20/08/07
  57.   #51 Jasmine re Palestinian brit 21:48  |  Labhras 20/08/07
  58.   Rape and abuse in Israel - No 51 21:49  |  Palestinian Brit 20/08/07
  59.   Jasmine - who gave you that sweet name? 21:51  |  Palestinian Brit 20/08/07
  60.   Victor from the north of Ireland 21:53  |  Palestinian Brit 20/08/07
  61.   Labhras can`t handle the truth, or doesn`t understand it? 21:56  |  Jasmine Murphy 20/08/07
  62.   To Labhras the Xenophobic Leprauchaun 22:32  |  SA expat 20/08/07
  63.   Labhras on blowing Sinn Fein 22:38  |  Zebulonguy 20/08/07
  64.   #52 Margie in TA (ex SA) 22:39  |  Labhras 20/08/07
  65.   The peace in Northern Ireland wont last 22:41  |  Orange 20/08/07
  66.   #61 Jasmine 22:50  |  Labhras 20/08/07
  67.   "63 Orange aka ???? 23:18  |  Labhras 20/08/07
  68.   MAYBE IF THE GOVERNMENT STOP WITH WITHDRAWALS IT WOULD BE SAFER 00:03  |  PalestiniansAreAMyth 21/08/07
  69.   #63, Orange 00:17  |  Silvienne 21/08/07
  70.   #55, Labhras... 00:20  |  Silvienne 21/08/07
  71.   #59, Palestinian Brit 00:21  |  Silvienne 21/08/07
  72.   #61, "Jasmine Murphy", who can`t handle what? 00:23  |  Silvienne 21/08/07
  73.   #62, Zebulonguy 00:26  |  Silvienne 21/08/07
  74.   #64, Labhras.... 00:27  |  Silvienne 21/08/07
  75.   Tamir Palestine 00:29  |  Silvienne 21/08/07
  76.   #13, Andras Bereny, illegal West Bank squatter 00:37  |  Hannah 21/08/07
  77.   #66 Silvienne re ILA 00:57  |  Labhras 21/08/07
  78.   Chinese wisdom for Slowman 00:58  |  Yuval Azoulay 21/08/07
  79.   #46 Pal Brit 00:59  |  * BEN JABO 21/08/07
  80.   #67 Silvienne - There was a Palestinian State 01:03  |  * BEN JABO 21/08/07