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CNN Live At Daybreak

Homeland Security: Interview of Rafi Ron, New Logan Airport Security Consultant

Aired October 24, 2001 - 07:50   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Boston's Logan Airport was, obviously, very much compromised when two airliners were hijacked after leaving there on September 11. Both went on to crash into the World Trade Center.

At the time, there were complaints of lax security at the airport, and ever since, authorities have been trying to tighten up. The governor's office has announced plans to add 34 National Guard soldiers to the contingent already providing security there.

And this week, Logan Airport hired a new security consultant. Rafi Ron is the former security director for Israel's El-Al Airlines, generally considered the world's most terror-proof airline. He joins us now from Jerusalem.

Thank you very much for being with us -- welcome.

RAFI RON, LOGAN AIRPORT CONSULTANT: Good morning, Paula.

ZAHN: Good morning.

So, Mr. Ron, you no doubt know Americans continue to be outraged by the fact that two jets were successfully hijacked coming out of Logan Airport. You did a walk-through of the airport last week. How vulnerable is it to another potential attack?

RON: Well, I think it would be a little bit unprofessional on my behalf to make comments at that level after less than two hours at the airport. But I can assure you that with the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) people's support, I will be able to learn more about the airport. And together with them, I am sure that we will be able to put up a program that will upgrade the security level at the airport.

ZAHN: I respect what you're saying. Can you then address in a broader sense, maybe, some of the key differences in the way that security is handled for El-Al versus, in general, other airlines here in the United States?

RON: I think that the overall approach to the question of security, and specifically aviation security, in Israel has been different through the years than that in the United States. And maybe rightfully so, because for many years, the suggestion has always been the presence of a great threat has always been there, while in the United States, it was not as obvious.

September 11 changed the rules of the scene, and it seems that the situation in the United States now is getting a little closer to the one that we have been exercising here for over 30 years.

So as far as the Israeli approach is concerned, we were willing on the one hand to invest heavily in security. And at the same time, I think that the Israeli public and the users of Israeli aviation were always very supportive of our security effort.

Bringing the two together, I think you can come up with a good result, and that has been the situation in the last 30 years.

ZAHN: Some Americans observe, when they go through Israeli airports, that racial profiling is used. They have made the observation that, perhaps, Arabs are treated differently than Israeli Jews. Is that true? And do you see racial profiling as being something that's necessary to use in America?

RON: I think that this is a misconception of the profiling concept. Obviously, profiling is just a concept, and you can fit it in the different substances. But the racial attitude is not a necessity in the profiling security process. I believe that profiling in the way we have been doing it for years focuses on the individual and what he brings with him to the flight. Therefore, the racial or ethnic issue is not necessarily a key one.

ZAHN: Mr. Ron, thank you for your insights this morning, and good luck with your new consultants job.

RON: Thank you very much.

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