46 illegal Palestinian aliens found in truck
Border Guard forces discover Palestinians packed inside shipping container in terrible cold. Each had paid NIS 250 for 'transport service'
Border Guard forces were surprised Sunday to discover 46 illegal Palestinian aliens packed inside shipping containers on a gravel transporting truck in the Hefer Valley.
The Palestinians, aged 13-58, were jammed in the cold inside two containers. An intial inquiry indicated that each had paid NIS 250 (roughly $66) for a ride to work and back. The driver, a 33-year-old from Nazareth, was arrested and will be brought for a remand hearing Monday.
During a routine patrol, Border Guard officers noticed a full trailer truck driving on the road connecting the Nitzanei Oz junction and Baka al Garbia. The truck was loaded with two shipping containers usually used for transporting gravel, dirt etc.
The officers instructed the driver to pull over near the community of Bat Hefer and checked the vehicle. Inside the containers they found dozens of Palestinian huddled together.
Border Guard chief inspector Eliran Elbaz said that a check revealed that the Palestinians were illegal aliens on their way to Baka al Garbia and from there headed to Palestinian Authority territory.
According to Elbaz "Apart from residing in Israel illegally, their lives were in danger from being packed inside the containers."
The Palestinians were turned over for questioning and are to be transferred to PA territory. Should any of them be found to have been previously detained in similar circumstances, they will be arrested and interrogated further.
Last month police detained an illegal Palestinian alien who was employed as a security guard in a large yeshiva in Petah Tikva, together with two other Palestinians who worked in the establishment as a superintendent and a cleaner.
