I must say that I find this truly upsetting, and I'm confounded as to why they couldn't find an alternative way of inspecting the contents of the luggage-- for instance having the suspect open the luggage and remove the device for processing through a high powered x-ray in an isolated section of the facility. That said, having followed the link to her website, I understand why she attracted a high level of suspicion. Apparently, she not only possessed passport stamps from enemy countries, and a tour book entitled "Palestinians in Palestine," as poster 12 mentioned, but carried a hand-drawn map of the central bus station in Jerusalem. That in itself, I think, should be sufficient cause for immediate alarm on the part of any security agent, and I'm disappointed that it wasn't reported. When all is said and done, I don't think her laptop should have been blown up, but I also don't think she should have been granted entry into the country, and I don't know which, of the two, upsets me more. A woman with a passport stamp from Syria should have no business visiting Israel unless she's a diplomat, as far as I'm concerned.

in US i was striped naked had to stand with the ARABS, the American thought i was an Arab :-) about Taba Border. i have passed that way too- but iwas given tea and biscuits had a short break there, look jewsih boy and jewsih boy can connect anywhere on earth. We just know each other.But it dosent happen with girls. NOW DONT BLAME THE ORTHODOX BOYS :-)

Having gone through the Israeli customs a few times, I have big doubts about this story.

What a freaking idiot. Nobody leaves luggage unattended, anywhere in the world, and especially not at a high-risk security checkpoint. Did she really think that the IDF was going to babysit her laptop? If the IDF told me to leave my laptop at a certain place, you can be sure I would be staying there with it at all times!

breed violence. I dont have sympathy for those that want to hurt the jewish country.

It was in Lebanon with the team I was in charge of, we were doing random roadblocks together with local Lebanese patriots. They were furious at me when we stopped people they knew or family and searched everything in their belongings, women underware and baby diapers too. It took me an effort to calm them down after each such incident, but I did not give up because I knew what was at stake. Eventually IDF withdrew and left the security of the area in their hands. 2 months later I was told that they were blown up at a checkpoint by suitcase full of explosives they missed checking. So you see Tea man, you better go back to drinking your tea or coolaid if you prefer, but do not interfere in what you don't understand, or you could be dead too.

Good timing guys... same day your ex-Prime Minister gets an arrest warrant slapped on her for war crimes, the border gestapo commit atrocities against ....an innocent Mac ! "Purity of arms," right? What a sane, reasonable, healthy civilization this Israel must be.

If you read the article, you'll notice that she, and all of her belongings, had been in POLICE CUSTODY for over two hours before they destroyed her laptop. She says she had left her bags unattended "WHERE THEY INSTRUCTED" So, don't jump to conclusions and blame her. She gave them her stuff, and it was in there possession, not left abandoned, when they blew it up.

Good,stay home:-))

You should crawl back to your hole - the deeper the better...- like 6 feet deep? There is plenty of "free land" there!

and i am not jewish not every name end with ((an)) is jewish

This is a quote from the follow up post on this woman's blog. It should give yo uan idea of her agenda. Thanks for all the interest, humor and advice regarding my laptop craziness. "First, I completely agree with Freitas’s comment. “These guys shoot every day at unarmed people, even children. Why so much surprise about a simple laptop?”" As far as I am concerned, when the sapper shot, he missed.

There must be more to this story. (I went to her blog and there isn't much more info. than is here except she seems to be anti-Israel.) What did they suspect her of, and WHY isn't too clear. I guess they could tell she was anti-Israel by looking through her belongings. But what made them suspect her laptop was dangerous? I can understand border guards need to be very careful. All the guards need is to make one mistake and lots of people could die. When they suspect someone is it standard procedure to keep them hanging around without telling them what they are suspected of?

Being hilunim my Israeli Jewish relatives in Tel Aviv know less about Judaism than my Christian friends here in the Diaspora! Way to go Ministry of Education!

first back your data cause like any good computer they tent to get errors second she should get insurance, like any normal tourist, third like she doesn't know water or any liquad is forbiden, forth of all if she didn't gave her passport or declaired it in the custom and try to take it with out declaration than not only bullets r allowed, but also they can give her fine, that how you handle passengers in airports or border crossing in alot of places around the world and Israel is no exception(just cause she is jewish doesn't mean she get favorible atitude, that's how they check everybody) so she is lucky enough that the athoreties just took the quick way and easy way and shoot her pc. if she got something to say adress the arabs that caused such grulling check.

Learn to read - she left it unattended WHERE THEY INSTRUCTED. Totally absurd procedure, those clowns should be disciplined.

Your statement only serves to confirm the mindset you're denying.

Ok-it sounds a bit excessive BUT security is number #1 on their minds at Israeli border crossings. I was also at that same crossing 10 years ago. I was a 20 year old Jewish girl arriving to the border on her own in the evening. I was also questioned about my family, what I was doing in Egypt/Israel. I had many suveniers and they made me remove everything from my bag. They searched everything thouroughly and with suspision. I was nervous (because I had never gone through anything like that before) and felt violated. The guards were also young- what's your point about this? Does it matter if they were older??? To my point... I hate to burst your bubble but many people go through this at Israeli border crossings ( Arabs, Jews, Israeli's and people from all over the world. It probably did not help that she had arabic stickers on her laptop... When I was in Egypt I had to take off my Star of David Necklace because I felt uncomfortable to wear it in an Arab Country. I felt very uncomfrtable at the Egypt Crossing and was not only just questioned but was heckled by the Egyptian border guards. Do people not understand that Israel is faced with serious security problems.....people need to be checked at the borders because you could actually be a Terrorist- this is a real possibility. I am thankful and feel safer knowing that they checked you, just as they checked me and thousands more.

Very artistic Shooting. Just like in Datona If you are trying to get funny you may blow up your car. So security comes first. Next time get some bamba stickers or Bazuka Joa. Will help you crossing easily. They love bisley too.

"unnerved?" jesus, grow a set. if it had been me i'd have thanked the nice customs officers for finally finding a worthwhile use for a computer - namely by putting it at the business end of a service pistol. thank god (or whoever you might thank) that at least someone out there in the leading world's security forces knows what kind of a general threat these bastardized thinking machines have become...

The Arab stickers were the stickers put on her baggage after being in an Arab country. Second, she put her bag where the police told her to put it when they were questioning her. This is a terrible mishap. Apparently, these police did not inform security about her computer, and so the security thought it was suspicious. She surely needs compensation.

Her statements during questioning must have raised concerns. She may also have been uncooperative which furthered their suspicions. All is not lost. She'll get a new computer and stories about the big bad IDF which she's already started to post. She ignores the fact these actions are also taken to protect her life.

Check out her blog. Does it look like she criticizes even ONE aspect of the Egyptian dictatorship she lives in? Yet right at the top she claims Israelis kill Arab children for no reason. Not to mention she is training to be a journalist, but the only one she is biased against or judging at all times are Israelis. She raises no questions about the Muslim brotherhood or other questionables she hangs out with. If this is the future of journalism we are in serious trouble.

She mad a mistake and she got something to writ about. not everyone got such an exp imagine just crossing the brother what a boring thing to do. Well journalism is not something to talk about it use to be glorious thing to do now a day every one can be one. Be happy he blow yourPC and not you. Oy.

you can't be that stupid. You left your luggage unattended. It was assumed to be a dangerous object. It had nothing to do with the Arabic stickers and everything to do with your stupidity and carelessness. Place the blame where the blame belongs and stop trying to be cute about it.

Not to go off from the topic at hand, but I find it interesting that so many of the Americans of Jewish extraction that go into journalism have even less of an understanding of, or sympathy towards, the Israeli position in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict than their non-Jewish peers. Suffice to say that the major newspapers and networks in America have no shortage of Jewish journalists, and among their ranks are some of the most hostile and/or maliciously "detached" columnists and commentators in the entire profession, when it comes to the question of Israel. The same can be said of human rights organizations and NGO's. They have no shortage of Jewish talent. And in many cases, if not in most, the same people expect uncritically warm receptions and welcomes when they travel to the Jewish state and meet their relatives, as if such connections should grant them immediate absolution. As if anything besides complete acceptance of their intolerance would be so intolerable as to not even warrant defense. Anyway, an exploded laptop doesn't help.

I'll need to fly to Israel for professional reasons in the near future. Can anyone advice on what to do if I am told by security officials to depart from my luggage? Thank you!