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Israeli fashion gets tactical

Business is booming for Israeli clothes manufacturers that have developed bullet- and knife-resistant fabrics and apparel, though they may not all deliver what they promise.
FOR RELEASE WITH FEATURE MIDEAST-SETTLERS - Jewish settler and manager of the Mofaz Etzion bullet-proof vest factory Shamai Ben-Baruch (L) helps his daughter Itamar model a child-sized bullet proof jacket in the West Bank settlement of Gush Etzion, near Hebron. Almost a day does not pass without Jewish settlers being shot at and sometimes killed as they drive on West Bank "bypass" roads. Many settlers are now buying bullet-proof vests to wear when they travel to and from their settlements.

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It was a pretty embarrassing moment for FMS Enterprises Migun Ltd., which develops and manufactures fabrics for the safety industry. A reporter from Israel's TV Channel 1 met with FMS Enterprises representatives to examine the knife-proof high-collar vests manufactured by the company for the civilian market and agreed to give it a try — that is, to be stabbed while wearing the vest to demonstrate its effectiveness. Unfortunately, the vest failed to deliver on its promise and the knife cut through the fabric. The hapless reporter was injured and needed medical treatment.

Ana Dotan from the Department of Plastics Engineering at Shenkar College of Engineering, Design and Art had a possible explanation for the failure.

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