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Los Angeles, the U.S. second largest metropolis, is seeking Israeli suggestions on how to protect travelers and prevent a terrorist attack, city Councilman Jack Weiss said on Tuesday.
Invited by the city, three Israeli airport security experts are currently visiting the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to help check the terminals, perimeter security, airfield and parking structures, Weiss said.
The Israeli experts will likely make preliminary recommendations before departing on Thursday, Weiss said.
"The goal is to allow a fresh set of eyes ... the opportunity to come in and kick the tires at LAX," said Weiss, who chairs the council's Public Safety Committee.
"You can't copy and paste (Israeli airport) Ben-Gurion's security into America," he said. "It's a different airport, different scale, different problems. But what you can learn from (the Israelis) is the philosophy and the approach."
The recommendations will not be publicized, but could be used to help Los Angeles World Airports, the agency that oversees LAX, draw up plans to modernize the airport.
"Their insights will be invaluable for us," said Councilman Bill Rosendahl. "I hope that the best practices and the protocols that our partners in Israel give us will be incorporated into how we go forward with these renovations."
"The United States is a great ally of Israel and we always cooperate, especially now with the issue of terrorism over the past few years," Israeli Consul General Ehud Danoch said. "We have many experts in counter-terrorism, and we are going to continue to share the knowledge and our experience with the United States."
Los Angeles, with many easy targets, remains as a potential target of terrorism, both substantial and symbolic, experts warn.
"Beyond the ports and airports, there are oil refineries and power plants, sports stadiums and skyscrapers, movie studios and amusement parks," the Los Angeles Times said in an earlier report.
"And apart from the potential year-round targets, there are the annual events like the Academy Awards and the Rose Parade that draw huge crowds and a worldwide television audience," it said.
(Xinhua News Agency October 18, 2006)
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