At the Church of Saint Saviour, the Custodian, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, met Mister Zohar Gefen, Chief of Security of the Department of Inspection, and some members of his entourage. The department is a security division for Israeli airports.
The meeting which was carried out partly in English and partly in Hebrew, led notably to the topic of travelers’ baggage checking. Mister Gefen insisted however, that the purpose of baggage checking was purely to guarantee the security of travelers.
The Custodian underlined that, in relation to the religious, it was notable that no incident had recently been signaled thanks to the improvements introduced to the new Ben Gurion airport (1). Despite all the diplomacy of the discussion, the speakers did not ignore that some incidents do occur.
The talks which evolved in an atmosphere of cordiality, will not lead to major changes to the procedures currently in practice at airports. Nevertheless, the awareness and attention given to the topic by the security officials in response to the words of the Custodian will ensure that things will be carried out in the best possible way for pilgrims and religious.
MAB
(1) The new Ben Gurion airport, which opened for service in November 2004, is fitted out with state-of-the-art technology in an area that has been considerably enlarged in order to facilitate the flow of traffic and security inspections.
The meeting which was carried out partly in English and partly in Hebrew, led notably to the topic of travelers’ baggage checking. Mister Gefen insisted however, that the purpose of baggage checking was purely to guarantee the security of travelers.
The Custodian underlined that, in relation to the religious, it was notable that no incident had recently been signaled thanks to the improvements introduced to the new Ben Gurion airport (1). Despite all the diplomacy of the discussion, the speakers did not ignore that some incidents do occur.
The talks which evolved in an atmosphere of cordiality, will not lead to major changes to the procedures currently in practice at airports. Nevertheless, the awareness and attention given to the topic by the security officials in response to the words of the Custodian will ensure that things will be carried out in the best possible way for pilgrims and religious.
MAB
(1) The new Ben Gurion airport, which opened for service in November 2004, is fitted out with state-of-the-art technology in an area that has been considerably enlarged in order to facilitate the flow of traffic and security inspections.