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Israel to install biometric ID system at Gaza checkpoint
Dec-03-03
Israel to install biometric ID system at Gaza checkpoint JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel's military plans to install a sophisticated biometric identification system at a Gaza Strip checkpoint in an effort to speed the passage of entering Palestinian workers and limit what can be dangerous friction with Israeli soldiers.
The system, developed by On Track Innovations Ltd. (OTI), will use two biometric sensors to read the facial dimensions and hand geometry of Palestinian workers crossing through the Erez checkpoint, said Ohad Bashan, director of global marketing at the Israeli company.
When installed in January, the system will be the first of its kind in the world, he said.
The Erez checkpoint, at the northern end of the Gaza Strip, is the main crossing into Israel for Palestinian construction or agricultural workers. Before Israeli-Palestinian violence erupted in 2000, tens of thousands of workers crossed every day.
Since then, Israel has severely restricted entrance, concerned about terrorists sneaking into the country disguised as laborers. Currently, about 10,000 Palestinian laborers parade every morning through the narrow passageways of the Erez checkpoint, showing soldiers laminated identification cards. If a card is believed to be fake, its owner can be held up for hours while he is interrogated and his document is checked.
The new biometric system is designed to increase security and speed up the check at the same time.
Workers will carry special ``smart'' cards that have their facial and hand biometrics encoded. Workers passing through the checkpoint will have their heads and hands quickly scanned to make sure they match the data stored on the cards. If all information matches, the workers can be let through the checkpoint.
``The Palestinians crossing will not need to be interrogated,'' Bashan said.
The Israeli army did not immediately respond to requests for comment on why it chose the system or whether it might be linked to other security databases.
The military is known to have lists of Palestinians suspected of militant activity who are not given permission to enter Israel. The army alleges some suspects are able to obtain counterfeit work permits now.
Bashan claimed the new system would be tamper-proof.
Such a dual biometric system has never been used with the ``contactless'' smart cards before, Bashan said. OTI's system should take between four and nine seconds to check each worker — significantly quicker than other systems that check handprints and retinas to identify users, Bashan said.
Other countries also are using or planning to incorporate biometric technology at border crossings and customs checkpoints.
The United States is expected to begin taking fingerprint and facial-image biometrics from incoming travelers in 2004. It already has used biometrics for registering the fingerprints, voices and iris patterns of prisoners captured in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The Gaza project came about after Israel's Defense Ministry hired the Israeli office of U.S.-based Electronic Data Systems Corp. to install a system that would ensure that Palestinians who pose a security risk would not cross through the checkpoint.
EDS in turn subcontracted with OTI, which specializes in smart card technology it has tested in Israeli communities. The Defense Ministry asked that the system include two biometric checks to guarantee reliability.
U.S. anti-terror funds were used in the system's development, Bashan said, although he could not say how much money had been invested.