Up to 15,000 Police to be On Duty During Obama Visit to Israel
by Zach Pontz
Up to 15,000 police officers will help to keep U.S. President Barack Obama safe and secure during his visit to Jerusalem next week. Israeli police will go into operational activity level, cancelling vacations and days off.
Over 5,000 officers will be involved in protecting the presidential entourage, which includes more than 600 people. In Jerusalem alone there will be 3,000 active officers.
“We are preparing for even the gravest possibility and are not relying only on intelligence. We are taking into account every scenario that could develop,” said head of operations, Brigadier General Nissim Mor. “We are talking about a very complicated operation.”
Mor said demonstrations are expected and that “police will allow demonstrations as long as they are within legal limits.”
While there are new specific threats, police are preparing for different scenarios ranging from an attempt to hurt the president, to the possibility of terror attacks in the north or the south of the country. There are also arrangements being made with the Palestinian Authority to track down Palestinian Arabs residing illegally in Israel.
On Monday all forces involved in the operation will hold a rehearsal in preparation for President Obama’s arrival.