Illegal resident arrested (archives)
Photo: A.A.
500 illegal residents arrested in 1 week
Police seize more than 500 Palestinian workers in Sharon region, fear terror attacks in light of Gaza operation
More than 500 Palestinians staying in Israel
illegally were arrested in the Sharon region over the past week; 114 of them were arrested on Friday.
The Palestinians were detained in a Sharon District Police activity, as part of the continuous efforts to enforce the law in light of the fighting in Gaza.
According to Chief Superintendent Eitan Menashe, the Sharon District Police's operations officer, "The activity against the illegal residents is carried out throughout the year, but these days of the fighting in the south we fear popular terror acts by a Palestinian who will enter Israel and carry out an independent attack in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.
"In addition, the activity against the illegal residents is carried out in order to prevent criminal offenses."
The main activity against the illegal residents takes place in their workplaces, particularly in construction sites. The activity also focuses on sites where they sleep and hide from the security forces, particularly in the Triangle area (a concentration of Israeli Arab towns and villages adjacent to the Green Line), in orchards and in huts.
The activity against the illegal residents is usually carried out by Border Guard officers according to information received about their work and hiding places.
Most Palestinians arrested arrive in Israel in order to work. Following their arrest they are taken in for questioning and their fingerprints are added to the reservoir. If a person is identified as a serial illegal resident, he is detained. Sometimes an illegal resident is wanted for questioning by the Shin Bet.
After they are questioned, the men are put on buses and taken to a roadblock on the Seam Line, where they are sent back to their homes in the Palestinian Authority.
According to Chief Superintendent Menashe, "Apart from handling the illegal residents, we also act against Israelis who drive, employ and accommodate them. A criminal record is opened against those employing or accommodating the illegal residents.
"A person caught with illegal residents in his car is put on trial and his vehicle is confiscated. More than 500 illegal residents have been seized in the past week and we continue our operations against them."
