Israel is introducing new biometric technology on the border of West Bank: report

Israel has been quietly introducing new biometric border technology for Palestinians traveling between the country and the Palestinian territory of the West Bank. Palestinian travelers are now required to scan their faces and their biometric ID cards, according to a report from The New Arab.

While Israel could collect biometric data at checkpoints before, the country started introducing new biometric equipment after imposing large-scale restrictions on Palestinians traveling between Israel and the West Bank for work or other purposes. The restrictions were introduced in the wake of the October 7th, 2023 Hamas terrorist attack on Israeli civilians, which ignited the country’s offensive against Gaza.

In December, Israeli authorities started allowing Palestinian laborers to return to their jobs in Israel. Thousands of Palestinians, however, are currently forced to enter Israel illegally with the risk of punishment of up to six months in prison, according to media reports.

The biometric technology is reportedly provided and installed by Israeli company MadEye, according to The New Arab.

MadEye’s website shows that the company has provided its security systems to the Israel Airports Authority and the National Cyber Directorate but also to foreign clients such as the NBA – presumably for access to sports stadiums.

A company representative told Biometric Update in an email that the report is “misleading,” and that its self-authentication kiosks are deployed only as an option for reducing friction between security forces and citizens. MadEye says it is not involved in any surveillance projects.

Israel’s use of biometric technology has been attracting accusations of human rights abuses against Palestinians. The criticism has intensified during its war against Hamas, which has so far taken 41,000 lives – most of them Palestinian.

U.S.-based companies have found themselves under pressure to clarify which services they provide to Israeli forces.

In May, Norwegian assets management company Storebrand sold its stake in IBM after allegations that Israel’s border management system is run on IBM’s biometrics technology.

Questions have been raised over Project Nimbus, a US$1.2 billion contract signed in 2021 between Google, Amazon Web Services and the Israeli military to provide cloud services and machine learning tools.

The Israeli military has also been deploying facial recognition in Gaza using technology from Corsight and Google Photos, a New York Times report has revealed.

According to the Palestinian digital rights group 7amleh, MadEye’s new border technology in the West Bank is a further step in violating Palestinian rights.

“The installation of artificial intelligence technology at checkpoints in the West Bank poses significant risks, as it can lead to increased surveillance and control over Palestinians, violating their digital rights and specifically their right to privacy, and contributing to the violation of their freedom of movement,” says Nadim Nashif, director of 7amleh.

This post was updated at 12:36pm Eastern on December 12, 2024 to include the response from MadEye.

Article Topics

biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  border security  |  Israel  |  Madeye  |  military  |  Palestine