(Washington Post) Scott Wilson - A modern terminal will soon replace the old Kalandiya checkpoint between Jerusalem and Ramallah, one of 20 multimillion-dollar crossings planned along the route of a barrier designed to separate Israel from the Palestinian population of the West Bank. Israeli officials said the terminals, along with the barrier itself, could still be dismantled if a peace agreement is ever reached with the Palestinians. Palestinians who are issued magnetic cards will receive eye scans to protect against fraud. Once the card is inserted and retinas checked, soldiers manning computer terminals in bulletproof booths will give the holder a red or green light. Bags will be scanned by machines. "Everything is planned so that there won't be any physical contact between the soldiers and the Palestinians," said Lt. Col. Fuad Halhal, an Israeli civil affairs liaison officer.
2005-08-03 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive