Foreign gov'ts looking to learn from Israeli border security

Several countries, among them India and the United States, are seeking to learn Israeli border security techniques and technologies, The Jerusalem Post reported Monday. According to the report, a delegation from India is scheduled to arrive in August to study technologies employed by the Israeli military to defend the borders with the Gaza Strip, Egypt and the West Bank, which could potentially be implemented on India's borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh. The report attributes the rising interest to the security barrier Israel is constructing along its border with Egypt, a national project launched early last year to stem cross-border attacks and the flow of African infiltrators. Along with the challenges posed by militants and migrants, the border has become fertile ground for Bedouin smugglers, with drugs, weapons and other contraband flowing in virtually unimpeded. Israel is investing estimated 360 million U.S. dollars in the 5- meter-high steel fence, which is scheduled to be in place early next year. When completed, the new barrier, which includes advanced surveillance technology, will stretch the entire length of the 240-km frontier, starting from the Red Sea port of Eilat and ending in southern Gaza. The barrier's original designation as a means to stop African migrants changed last August, when eight Israelis, most of them civilians, were killed in a cross-border attack orchestrated by several squads of Gaza militants, whilst an Israeli contractor working on the fence was killed in a similar attack in June. Since the August assault, the Israeli army has bolstered border security with infantry units, early-warning installations and fortified observation posts. The navy has rigged the Red Sea coast with super-sensitive electronic sensors. New Delhi is reportedly seeking to bolster its border security to prevent incidents like the Mumbai attacks in 2008, according to the Post. The United States, for its part, is constructing a barrier along the border with Mexico to curb the flow of immigrants, and the Department of Homeland Security is testing advanced ground surveillance radars developed by Israel Aerospace Industries. The ELM-2112 radar, already deployed by the Israeli army to detect intruders along the porous border, comes in five different versions that enable operators to spot individuals and vehicles at distances ranging from 300 meters to 20 km.