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IDF Military Police: Israel's First Line of Defense in the West Bank
(JNS) Yaakov Lappin - When a Palestinian vehicle pulled up at the Azaim Crossing between Jerusalem and the West Bank on April 9, Israel's election day, Military Police officers Sgt. Michael Sivan and Sgt. Roman Ambar had a feeling something was wrong. The male driver was behaving in a suspicious manner. When they opened the trunk, they discovered 3 assault rifles and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. "When these incidents occur and you understand what you did, the motivation [to serve in this role] only grows," Ambar said. Maj. Tal Charash, 23, who commands a company in the Military Police in the West Bank, said, "Training teaches us to identify all sorts of suspicious activity - an ability that makes our work easier. Yet with time, we start developing a gut feeling, and we pay attention to details, to things that look a little suspicious." "We don't want to take any chances, especially when our mission is to defend the State of Israel and its residents. On the one hand, the forces are taught ethics and the need to be respectful to all. But we are also obligated to conduct our checks and prevent the wrong things from making it past the crossing. We respect everyone, but we also have to suspect some, while clearing others."