Can airport security in Israel force me to provide my access credentials to laptop or online accounts?

When I went to Israel I had no problems flying in or out. I’m white and blonde. My friend who is olive skinned and brunette was stopped both times and her bags were searched and she was detained for questioning for about half an hour. No log ins requested though. A month ago friend of mine went to Israel on birthright. Also brown hair and darker skin. She extended the trip and took a weekend trip to Italy for part of the time. They wouldn’t let her back into Israel (where she had a connecting flight to the US) until she let them see her facebook. She had to unlock all electronic devices…and sing the dreidle song to prove how Jweish she was. So basically, depending on what you look like, you have a good chance of having your devices searched.

But what another poster said is true, you don’t like it, don’t go. I loved Israel, but I don’t go there to visit in large part due to how uncomfortable their border security officers made me.

Any country can demand to search anything they like as a condition of entry. The only exception is that, in general, countries cannot refuse to admit their own citizens (although they can be detained). There are a lot of horror stories about U.S. officials demanding to see the social media profiles of visitors. I’ve been to Israel several times, and have never had them ask me to log in to any of my devices or supply social media information, but that’s just my own experience. If the immigration authorities suspect that a visitor has what they view as bad intent, they will want to do a far more thorough search than is usual. I’d be suspicious of reports of strip searches, however, unless they think someone is smuggling drugs.

To directly answer the title question, it appears that the answer is “Yes, if you want to enter the country.” You might be able to refuse the request, but then you might be denied entry.

The following information is from the advice that the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs provides to U.S. citizens traveling to Israel:

Video cameras and other electronic items must be declared upon entry to Israel. Carrying such audio-visual or data storage/processing equipment may lead to additional security-related delays, and some travelers have had their laptop computers and other electronic equipment searched at Ben Gurion Airport. While most items are returned prior to the traveler’s departure, some equipment has been retained by the authorities for lengthy periods and has reportedly been damaged, destroyed, lost, or never returned.

Also,

Israeli security officials have also on occasion requested access to travelers’ personal e-mail accounts or other social media accounts as a condition of entry. In such circumstances, travelers should have no expectation of privacy for any data stored on such devices or in their accounts. Audio-visual/IT equipment may also be confiscated for security reasons. Such property will not be returned to the traveler. There is no redress for such confiscations.

Source: travel.state.gov Country Information for Israel

While this information is targeted to U.S. citizens, I rather doubt that the situation is significantly different for German citizens.

Israel Security is a “nightmare” as you have described it , only if you turn it into one in your head .

The reason they are asking you to login to you computer, is only to assure that it is yours and that you are not transporting someone’s else computer ( one of the questions they ask you is if everything you carry is yours ..).

Another reason is to see that the computer is functional and it is not a masked device …

In my visits to Israel on business I was asked to turn on or login to many devices , from cameras to HD to electrical drillers to welders…. Nothing to do with your social profiles.

After YOU ( not they ) log into the computer , that is it . they themselves will not touch your computer . They are not allowed to . Nor do they want.

Can you refuse ? YES.

Is it a good Idea ? Probably not .

That will only raise suspicions and will make further problems .

Regarding social networks – No one can even know if you are registered to any specific social network or not . No one will ask you to login to any account from any other computer . These stories simply can not be accurate .

on a side note I will say that Israel is one of the most advanced high tech nation in the world , if not THE most advanced . If they really want , believe me they will have no trouble getting into your phone without asking your permission to do so. They did it to the nuclear facilities in Iran. you really think your phone is more secure ( or more interesting ) than that ?
Further more – I bet that half ( if not more ) of the components and software in your phone and computer are directly or indirectly connected or developed in Israel – without you even knowing it. 🙂 from intel chips to google products.

They only ask these things to see your reaction and attitude.
It is called “profiling”.

… AND – Israel is not the only country to do that – I was asked to login to my computer in at least 10 different countries – and in one ( China ) I was not even asked to. they just took the computer and did what they wanted themselves .

So, to answer your direct questions :

Can you refuse ? – Yes you can refuse ( also legally refuse ) and ask for a lawyer or a court order .
I was body searched in Israel and I was asked to sign a waiver form.
You can refuse to sign. Wait for a court order. Lose your flight.

The consequences ? – You will get an honorary place at a not-so-nice list of some sort .

Is it worth it ? I guess not .

Best practice ? If you really are afraid – Ask an Israeli colleague to accompany you. they will ask him some security questions about you – Easiest way to cruise the security there.

Last remark – those occurrences happen on your Departure . Not arrival.
By then – your attitude towards Israel ( and their security procedures ) would probably change and you will have absolutely no trouble.
If it will not change – So try to fake it to change .

Like others have wrote here – Sometimes it is better to be smart than right .

EDIT / UPDATE :

like I wrote in some of the comments , it is strange that this question is targeted to Israel only . I think that it is a valid question, but maybe it should be addressed to other ( all ?? ) countries as well, for example – the US.

US immigration might soon ask for travelers social media accounts

Official U.S. Federal registry

Although not yet implemented – this demonstrate the currents and winds in the airport security industry , and weather we like it or not – also the direction where it will eventually might end up.

Security at Ben Gurion Airport frequently ask you to log in to your laptop in order to ascertain that it’s really yours. This happens both to Israeli citizens and people who travel to Israel. There is nothing strange about this and if asked, the best course of action is to do this immediately and without hesitation.

Asking you to log in to your private email or social networks is a different matter. This is extremely uncommon, as is strip searching for that matter. I really wouldn’t worry about it.

If however the security personnel does ask you to do this: I am not a lawyer and cannot say whether you’re legally obliged to do it. However, here the famous saying “Don’t be right, be smart” is very relevant. It doesn’t matter if you legally don’t have to do this—if you don’t and they detain you for a day and then refuse you entry into the country, is it really worth it? And even if they don’t deport you but just detain and you lose a day from your trip, is it worth it? (again, not a lawyer, but pretty sure you can be detained for up to 2 days without seeing a lawyer or judge and without any charges whatsoever).

Again, the above scenario is super extremely unlikely, but if they ask you to do something non-standard like this, it probably means you’re already suspicious—so it’s best not to make the security angry at you for no reason, and cooperate in any way you can.

The question about the rootkit is really beside the point—you either trust the security or you don’t. If you don’t, you probably shouldn’t be flying, because airport security in most countries (especially in the US) has “freedoms” and capabilities far beyond your neighborhood police officer. Israel is not an exception. Speaking of trust—from my experience with airport security in many countries, openly showing mistrust in them never leads to anything good. Here too, Israel is not an exception.

Security personnel have quite a wide range to operate in Israel when searching a suspect. And if you are flagged for search, that is exactly what you are.
I know it is annoying, but as always with security it’s for your own good and for a good reason.
In their minds they are stopping a terrorist, until proven else where.
Please note that most chances are that you will not be searched at all. The majority of travelers leave Israel without any hassle what so ever.
If you are going for work, you can ask whom ever invited you to provide a letter that helps when leaving. Some big organization can do a sort of “pre screening” that makes it all much much easier.
Be honest and cooperative with the security people. Refusing to give access is not a good idea, sometimes they can even take your devices away from you (extremely rare, but has happened).
No bots will be installed and nothing will be stolen.