Undercover police force gears up for elections
Yamas chief:’ Jerusalem is not safe without the police
The special forces counter-terrorist unit attached to the Border Police is gearing up for Tuesday’s election and the High Holy Days, which begin on Sunday, September 29, according to the unit’s chief superintendent, D.R.
Known in Hebrew as Yamas, an acronym for Yehidat HaMista’arvim (the Arabized [undercover] unit), the quasi-secret force conducts operations dressed in civilian disguise within Arab cities and villages.
In Jerusalem, the Yamas agents – who are part of the Shin Bet (Israel Security Service) – keep the city safe in what Israel Police spokesman to the foreign media Mickey Rosenfeld described as “claustrophobic civilian-populated areas.” He said the unit works to find weapons and identify potential terrorists before they act.
“The days leading up to the election,” Rosenfeld said, “are particularly sensitive.”
D.R., who has been running Yamas for nearly three years, said what makes the unit unique is its diversity. Officers come from elite IDF units or undergo special training courses that last for more than a year in order to operate in the field.
“It’s very complicated,” D.R. told The Jerusalem Post. “We are operating in the same areas but we have to maintain anonymity. We are always working to develop new tools and skills to be able to maintain an element of surprise.”
It is particularly hard in Jerusalem, because officers must operate both within the Arab neighborhoods, but also keep an eye on the surrounding Arab cities including Bethlehem and Ramallah. Roads leading into Jerusalem have to be monitored, as well as potential criminals or terrorists who set up shop in the eastern part of the capital.
D.R. cited the recent string of incidents in Ma’aleh Hazeitim, a Jewish enclave on the Mount of Olives surrounded by the Arab neighborhood of Ras el-Amud. The 250 Jews living there were the target of Molotov cocktails thrown by young Arabs at their homes and vehicles. It took the Yamas unit several weeks to find the culprits.
“Working with local police, we had to go into the city and catch the boys doing the act,” D.R. said. “This is classic. These things happen every day, but you don’t really hear about them and they are not written about.”
He said that Yamas’ job is to keep Jerusalem quiet for residents and visitors.
“It is 100% correct to say that Jerusalem would not be quiet if we didn’t do our work,” D.R. said, explaining that there are many criminal and/or terror-linked incidents that are stopped with the help of the undercover unit. “The city is objectively not safe without the police.”
D.R. said he is proud of the way the team works together with “the special goal of protecting Jerusalem.”