January 29, 2004. Copyright 2004. Graphic News. All rights reserved.

Israeli bomb proof bus

LONDON, February 18, Graphic News: Israel has unveiled a new security system to thwart the Palestinian suicide bombers who have made using public transportation such a deadly undertaking in the Middle East.

Bus bombings are one of the PalestiniansÕ most effective terror techniques: windows fortified against stone-throwing turn the bus into a pressure chamber if the bomb detonates inside. During the last three years terrorists have blown up 13 buses, killing around 140 people. For all their sophisticated weaponry, the Israelis have seemed powerless to stop such simple yet brutal attacks on mainly civilians, including women and children on their way to school.

The new system, unveiled recently near Tel Aviv, aims to stop bombers boarding the bus, and features a barrier at the front door that locks to keep suspicious passengers off unless the driver presses a release button. Buses will also be fitted with a turnstile at the back to stop bombers boarding there. In time, a more sophisticated system will use hidden sensors to detect explosives from up to a metre (3 feet) away.

Of course, the security system does not make it easier for drivers to see through a potential suicide bomberÕs disguise. Nor does it prevent a determined bomber from blowing himself up outside the vehicle Š though the number of casualties in that case would probably be lower. Buses are also to be fitted with a sheet of armour at the front to trap any flying shrapnel.

The technology has been developed by Israeli bus manufacturing company Haargaz, Israeli Military Industries and the Transportation Ministry. They will put five buses on the road next month to test it. By the end of the year, they hope to have extended the measures to all the most vulnerable routes, and to have reassured many commuters now too scared to travel by bus.
/ENDS

Sources: Associated Press, Reuters, Sandia National laboratories