Machsom Watch requests to monitor airport security checks

By Yoav Stern and Zohar Blumenkrantz, Haaretz Correspondents

Machsom Watch, a group of women who monitor the behavior of Israeli security forces at West Bank checkpoints, has recently requested permission to monitor the interrogation of Arab travelers at Ben-Gurion International Airport.

The group sent the request in a letter to Israel Airports Authority head Gabi Ophir and Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz.

Maya Bailey, one of the Machsom Watch leaders, said Tuesday that the organization does not plan on having regular shifts at the airport, due to a shortage of volunteers.

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Several months ago, Dr. Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, one of the funds' board members and a professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, ended up canceling a flight to an international conference in Tunis due to the security check she underwent at Ben-Gurion Airport.

The Nazareth-based Arab Association for Human Rights has since compiled a report showing that security officials discriminate against Arab passengers.

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