Yeah, I was wondering about that ICBM thing.
Anyway, I'll put in my 2 pence of checkpoint experience. When you have temporary or improvised checkpoints, like all the American ones in Iraq, or like the surprise checkpoints the IDF sets up for an hour or so in-between Palestinian villages, you have to be extra careful about visibility. You want the approaching vehicles to be able to see you easily, with plenty of time to stop, but not so easily or from so far away that they can just turn around 400 meters away and run.
As for the rules of engagement at checkpoints, I don't know what the Americans were told to do or not do. But they have much less experience than Israel at that kind of thing, so Israel's rules are more fine-tuned and "friendly", if you will.
The ONLY circumstances where I, as a soldier manning a checkpoint, would be allowed to open fire at a vehicle were either if the vehicle made or was making an obvious attempt to run a soldier over, or if shots were being fired at us from a vehicle. That's it.
If a vehicle ran through a checkpoint, we were told never to open fire, but to radio the incident in to forces further on, who would be able to intercept the vehicle and find out whether they guy was merely half-drunk and didn't see us signalling him to stop, or if it was a terrorist, or whatever.
Once a suspicious vehicle is stopped, and we want to thoroughly check the occupants, we keep a safe distance from the vehicle (10-15 meters or so), and have the people leave the vehicle. The men are told to pull up their shirts and jackets so we can confirm that they are not wearing an explosive belt, and the women are told to flatten their clothing against their body, so we can see any suspicious bulges.
Anyway, that's pretty much it for IDF checkpoint behavior in checking vehicles. American forces could stand to learn a thing or two from us - it's just a shame that we are so experienced.
