US President Joe Biden’s visit to Israel is a first-rate security challenge, and the police are currently completing preparations for it. The visit, which will begin the next day and last about two days, has been assigned to more than 16,000 police, border guards and volunteers, who will be deployed starting Wednesday at noon to ensure the safety of guests and hosts, maintain order and direct traffic.
The police deployment will focus mainly on the Ben Gurion Airport area, Jerusalem and the main arteries leading to it. In addition, control centers and centers will operate to ensure effective command and control.
Preparations for the police began several weeks ago and include planning in terms of security, public order and traffic, along with the other bodies involved in the craft. As part of the preparations, an exercise was also made in the escort and security model of the President’s convoy and his entourage among the sites he is expected to visit. Apart from Commissioner Yaakov Shabtai, his deputy, David Bitan, will supervise the work.
“We in the Jerusalem police are trained in large events and hosting distinguished personalities,” the police say. “We have held staff meetings and conducted thorough examinations of the necessary needs and requirements and also visited sites and roads in question. Public safety is our top priority and we continue to conduct ongoing police work and law enforcement. We will allow freedom of expression and protest.
“This is a visit of national importance, and we will do everything to make it go properly. We are working in conjunction with the U.S. Service in all circles and there will also be U.S. police and service personnel. Last Thursday we conducted a joint exercise with them and we coordinated. We learned lessons from previous events.”
The visit is expected to greatly affect some traffic arteries and between Wednesday noon and Friday noon traffic disruptions and blockages are expected on various arteries in the central area, on the arteries leading to Jerusalem and throughout the capital. There may also be changes in traffic arrangements on the main arteries leading to the city for short and periodic periods of time.
“We are very sensitive and up-to-date regarding the closure of traffic arteries in order to prevent as much disturbance as possible to the residents of Jerusalem and to the citizens,” says a police source.
Commissioner Yaakov Shabtai said at a hearing held yesterday: “This is a national operation and a strategic visit led by the Israel Police with more than 16,000 police and fighters on land, in the air and at sea, and all the security organizations in Israel are partners. During the days when the President of the United States will be in Israel, most of the operational force of the police will work to secure the visit.
“The main task of the Israel Police is to allow the visit without exceptional events, while ensuring the visit and the personalities from the moment the president lands in Israel until he leaves for Saudi Arabia.
The IDF also prepared for the visit, and yesterday morning until evening it conducted military training, during which there was a lively movement of aircraft in the skies of the center of the country.