On Monday morning, during a routine morning shift at the Qalandiya crossing in northern Jerusalem, an Arab woman arrived at the checkpoint. When she put her belongings in for inspection, the combat soldier from the "Erez" battalion, Sergeant Anton Goltzman, saw in the mirror that there was a sharp object in her bag that aroused his suspicion. Anton immediately reported to the war room and closed the crossing.
When her bag was checked a knife was discovered inside a Pringles container. "When we opened the bag, we saw nothing but a few personal belongings and a box of snacks," he said, "and I decided to look inside the box because I saw the sharp object in the mirror."
The woman was taken for questioning by the General Security Service, and a few minutes later a warning was received from the military intelligence that she planned to carry out an attack against the IDF and Border Police forces.
"When the Palestinian passed through the inspection booth, she looked a bit nervous, behaved strangely, and looked sideways, and as soon as we checked her bag and saw the knife in the snack box, I was very surprised," said Sergeant Goltzman.
The soldiers are stationed at the crossing throughout the year, at all hours of the day and in all weather conditions, in order to ensure that weapons and other dangerous items do not penetrate the territory of the State of Israel. "As a soldier on the border, I must always be alert and prepared for any situation in which a terrorist will try to enter the territory of the state. We are the last line of defense and I am very proud that I succeeded in thwarting the attack, which could have harmed many residents."
The commander of the Erez Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Erez David, adds that "the vigilance of the soldier, with the help of the advanced technological means available to us, led to the prevention of an attack and harm to the security forces. The fighters at the crossings carry out an operational mission while maintaining a high level of professionalism that leads to the identification of terrorists, and explosives, and prevent their entry into the State of Israel. I have no doubt that because of the vigilance and professionalism of the soldiers of the crossings, there are many civilians who can sleep peacefully."
