I also fly in and out of Israel a lot and they use this method regularly. Although it can be scary and intimidating (I've been stopped and pulled aside a few times), they are really just looking for people that look like they're trying to hide something. If you've ever been someone trying to hide something then you know what I'm talking about. If, for some unfortunate reason, your natural disposition is to look shady, nervous, and or guilty looking you'll probably hate this new technique, but as previous posters have said, it has been very successful in properly identifying and dealing with potential red flags.