Netanyahu: 'Infiltrators' occupying Tel Aviv
Prime minister claims only 'one thousandth' of asylum seekers 'real' refugees; says Israel building fence to stop wave which threatens Jewish state
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that "infiltrators had occupied Eilat and Arad and are occupying Tel Aviv from south to north."
During a speech before a Manufacturers Association of Israel general meeting, the prime minister said only a "thousandth" of them were "real refugees," adding that Israel is building a fence along the Egyptian border "to stop the flood, so that Israel will remain Jewish and democratic."
It is estimated that some 36,000 foreign nationals have entered Israel via the Sinai in recent years. In addition, many migrant laborers who entered legally now reside in Israel.
According to NGOs and local authorities, Tel Aviv tops the rate of asylum seekers living in the city. Some 15,000 to 17,000 live in Tel Aviv, while Eilat has the highest proportion of asylum seekers with between 4,000 and 7,000. Some 500-2,000 live in Ashdod, 800-1,000 in Jerusalem, and 400-600 in Arad.
In last year's Manufacturers Association meeting, Netanyahu also referred to this issue. "We have become almost the only first world country that can be entered by foot from the third world," he said. He warned of a "wave of refugees that threatens to wash away our achievements and undermine our existence as a Jewish and democratic state."
Haredi proud of IDF uniform
In Thursday's speech, the prime minister also referred to the issue of haredi military service and the recently-approved program which aims to double the number of ultra-Orthodox serving in the army or performing National Service within five years.
"The willingness of the haredi population to contribute and serve is growing," he said. "I have recently spoken to haredim in the Nahal unit and they told me that two years ago they would hide the uniform they hung out to dry. Now they hang it outside openly and proudly."
He also related an anecdote from his own family. "I told them about my grandfather, who was a yeshiva student in Lithuania and son of a large family of rabbis," the prime minister said. "He told me that he once stood on a railway station with his brother during the winter, and a group of thugs shouted at them, calling them 'Yids' and beating them.
"They pushed his brother into the mud, and he tried to defend his brother and fell into the mud too. Then he said to himself, 'what a disgrace that the sons of King David and the Maccabees are pushed into the mud like this. If I live, I'll make aliyah to the Land of Israel.'"
In addition, the prime minister promised that Israel will not demolish the houses of Major Eliraz Peretz and Major Roi Klein, who were killed on the Gaza border during the second Lebanon war.
"I will not allow the demolition of the houses of these heroes, who sacrificed their lives for Israel's security," he said. The houses of the two soldiers were built without a permit in the West Bank settlement Eli.
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