BEIT HORON, ISRAEL - A group of Georgia police officers watched their Israeli counterparts training to meet a wave of Palestinian terror attacks Wednesday. <br>
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At a training base between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, Israeli border police acted out scenes they encounter almost daily -- confronting terrorists who have opened fire in a crowded street and stopping suspicious vehicles. <br>
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During 20 months of Mideast violence, police have been diverted from anti-crime activities to deal with security -- trying to stop suicide bombers and other Palestinian attackers. Despite Israeli efforts, Palestinians set off bombs or open fire almost daily. <br>
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The eleven officers from law enforcement agencies in Georgia are in Israel as part of a two-week study tour to learn counterterrorism techniques and other police methods. <br>
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Since the September eleventh terror attacks in the United States, Israeli and U.S. law enforcement bodies have stepped up cooperation on counterterrorism. <br>
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Buddy Nix, director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, said the current rash of suicide bombings in Israel showed his group what Israeli police must deal with. <br>
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Nix said, ``We are gaining a better understanding of the threat of terrorism, and we want to learn everything we can from the police here, who are dealing with it every day.'' <br>
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This is the tenth year officers from Georgia have visited Israel as part of the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange Program, which began before the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. <br>
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Georgia is eight times the size of Israel.
