Presidential trips abroad pose a particular security challenge for the Secret Service. But President Joe Biden’s visit to east Jerusalem and the West Bank, on Friday, will be especially complicated.
Capping off a three-day visit to Israel that begins Wednesday, Biden is to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Bethlehem. This will follow Biden’s visit to a hospital in the Palestinian-majority east Jerusalem, where the president will pledge funds for medical services. That east Jerusalem visit will also signal the Biden administration’s support for dual sovereignty in Jerusalem as part of any future Israeli-Palestinian peace accord.
Yet, while Biden comes bearing gifts for the Palestinians, that’s no guarantee that he’ll receive a warm welcome. Although the Palestinian Authority and other Palestinian entities prefer Biden to Trump’s wholly pro-Israel policy, Biden has few fans within the Palestinian extremist community. Israel is attempting to mitigate the risk of an incident.
Seeking to prevent Palestinian protests that might obstruct, endanger, or embarrass Biden, Prime Minister Yair Lapid’s government is delaying the announcement of new settlement construction plans in east Jerusalem by one week. But while protests can provide cover for assassins, the Secret Service’s primary concern will focus on terrorist groups.
Three particular threats stand out: the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, deniable Iranian terrorist cells, and Salafi-Jihadists inspired by the Islamic State. The broader security environment is also uncomfortable: Israeli security operations in the West Bank, particularly the northern West Bank, have been increasingly active in recent months following a series of Palestinian terrorist attacks.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad poses the most significant concern. With tentacles across the West Bank, including Bethlehem, the group remains an ardent U.S. adversary. Iran has exerted increasing control over the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in recent years, leveraging financing for proxy loyalty. Considering continuing Iranian plots to assassinate former Trump administration officials and government/military personnel and Iran’s increasingly bellicose stance toward nuclear negotiations, any Iranian activity during Biden’s visit will attract close attention. But how, specifically, will Biden be protected?
Alongside the Secret Service and National Security Agency, Israel’s Shin Bet domestic security service and its Aman military intelligence service will deploy major resources to identify any potential threat. Beyond intelligence efforts, the United States and Israel will maintain a tiered security umbrella around Biden. This will include a heavy Israeli deployment of operatives from its cadre of Mista’arvim undercover counterterrorism units. They will flood Bethlehem and east Jerusalem prior to and during Biden’s visit, surveilling suspected terrorists and taking further action if necessary.
The close Israeli-U.S. relationship also means that Biden’s Secret Service detail will be well supported. Biden’s counterassault and countersniper teams will be able to deploy in an overt, armed capacity as they would on U.S. soil, for example. They will be supported by Israeli Shin Bet protection officers and Israeli special forces. This will almost certainly include Israel’s Yamam counterterrorist team (its FBI hostage rescue team equivalent) and its Yasam counter-riot unit. The Israeli army and air force will also maintain a helicopter gunship, drone, and fighter aircraft security cordon around Biden. Finally, uniformed Israeli police and soldiers will provide perimeter security in east Jerusalem, and Palestinian security forces will provide perimeter security in Bethlehem.
Put simply, while Biden should be safe, expect the Secret Service to keep a very tight envelope around him. Recent experience shows that all it takes is one mistake, one stolen police uniform, one undetected terrorist, or one extremist infiltrator in the security forces to make unpleasant history.
