JERUSALEM — It’s early Monday morning. A Border Police unit that includes two women is checking the identity of an Arab woman driving along one of the roads that used to lead to Tulkarm east of Netanya but is now blocked off with mounds of earth and boulders.
“There is no reason for anyone to use this road; it leads nowhere, so anyone driving on it raises suspicions,” says Border Police Superintendent Assaf Ravid.
Cpl. Liraz Cohen stands guarding the vehicle as Staff Sgt. Michael Tal asks the woman for documents. Sitting next to the woman is a young boy who sits staring out the window. “Please get out of the car and open the trunk for inspection,” says Tal.
Meanwhile Superintendent Meirav Amar dictates details of the woman’s identity and vehicle to headquarters. Fifteen minutes later the woman is ordered to turn the car around and leave.
Today, women like Amar and Cohen, who volunteer for combat positions in the Border Police ranks, are deployed in an array of positions equal to their male counterparts, with a total of 140 women in combat positions and another 70 currently undergoing basic training.
“Our job is to provide security for Israeli citizens and combat terror and crime,” said Assistant Cmdr. Yitah Avraham, Border Police commander of the Central Division “The girls participate in all tasks, including ambushes, roadblocks, stakeouts and patrols — we don’t differentiate between the sexes.”
Women in combat positions were initially a cause for concern as commanders feared there would be internal tensions between the sexes, but the fears, says Avraham, proved to be unfounded.
Six years ago, former Border Police Commander Yisrael Sadan, now mayor of Hadera, opened up opportunities for women seeking to take up combat positions.
Amar joined the Border Police around that time, commanding the first female unit assigned to combat positions. Today she is in charge of coordinating security with the nearby Jewish communities. “At first it wasn’t easy; we were perceived as freaks and a focus for jokes.
“The quality of the girls applying for combat duty is of a far higher caliber than it was then. However, we work a lot harder in order to prove ourselves. Today, we are considered a part of the scenery. As with the men, there are women on whom I can rely totally to give me the necessary support out in the field, and others who I can depend on less,” she says.
All of those present at the site near Tulkarm served with Cpl. Hani Abramov, who was seriously wounded in the face and hands in a drive-by terrorist shooting during the summer, while on operational duty just inside the Green Line.
“When Hani was wounded, we were all affected as everyone perceived her as being invincible; she is considered to be one of our strongest fighters,” adds Amar.
However, Tal and Cpl. Itzik Monatzo have their doubts. “Some of the female fighters cannot deal with all situations; they lack the knowledge and understanding, even though they go through the same training. Some of them you can rely on totally that they will do the job and support you, if needed,” Monatzo says.
Tal contends that difficulties sometimes arise when dealing with the dispersal of an angry Palestinian mob or demonstrators. “The other side are humiliated by the presence of border policewomen; they consider a woman’s place is in the home. Because of their primitive attitude, the girls [border policewomen] often become a target, tempers swell, the general atmosphere is unpleasant. If you are the officer in charge, you are confronted with a difficult decision as to whether to deploy the girls in the forefront or on the flanks,” he says.
“Many of our female fighters are excellent at detective work and dealing with the Palestinian public when inspecting their vehicles, but we are sometimes faced with difficult choices, especially when we are confronted with an angry mob.
“What happens if someone in the crowd hits one of the girls, breaks her nose or steals her weapon?” he asks, adding, “It is nothing to do with chauvinism, I am talking on a professional basis.”
Ravid has no problem serving alongside border policewomen, but declares, “If there is one female fighter who can be totally relied on it’s Hani; she is a No. 1 fighter.”
The central division is responsible for a 46-milestretch from the coast to the seam-line areas of the West Bank, says Avraham.
“Our foremost mission is to prevent Palestinians without authorization from crossing into Israel. They are potential terrorists and therefore our job is to prevent them from reaching Tel Aviv and Netanya,” he says.
He admits, however, that it is impossible to seal the area hermetically. “People managed to get over the Berlin Wall and escape from the Alcatraz prison,” he jokes. But seriously, he adds, “The presence of our forces, together with the Israel police and soldiers, helps to hamper attempts by those seeking to cross into Israel. We cannot stop everyone.”
Indeed, in an area known as Givat Hashabahim (the Hill of Illegal Entry), a stretch of rubbish-strewn land between Taibe and Tulkarm, three border policemen monitor the movements and foil attempts of Palestinians attempting to enter Israel illegally. Each day they catch at least 400 Palestinians attempting to enter Israel and also foil attempts by Israelis seeking to enter Tulkarm.
In addition, security forces also clamp down on Israeli employers who, if caught with illegal workers, face a speedy judicial process and stiff fines. “Our intention is to make them realize that employing illegal workers is not worth their while,” says Ravid.
Toward noon, Cohen returns with Ravid and Amar to the base located near Tulkarm and begins cleaning her room with her roommates. Later in the day she planned to visit Abramov in the hospital. Ravid and Amar go to the mess hall to eat before going out once again on patrol.
“I rarely get time to eat my meal sitting down — there is always so much work to do,” sighs Ravid.