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Photo: Police Spokesperson's Unit
'If an illegal worker is caught, he gets a free ride from the police to the fence'
Photo: Police Spokesperson's Unit
Alex Fishman

Illegal Palestinian workers are an imminent danger to Israel

Op-ed: Working in Israel without a permit has become worthwhile; when the first terror attack involving illegal laborers takes place within the Green line, we will only have ourselves to blame.

In every point in time, there are 40,000 illegal workers from the West Bank within the Green Line. This is a rough estimate which even Civil Administration experts won't confirm. There may be 60,000. No one really knows.

 

 

Moreover, there isn't a single person in the defense establishment or in the law enforcement organizations who has any idea how many of them stay overnight for many weeks.

 

The only thing that can be said for certain is that the number of illegal Palestinian residents will only grow, and that one day, when a terror attack involving illegal workers takes place within the Green line, we will only have ourselves to blame, as the method we have created makes the illegal stay in Israel worthwhile.

 

The Palestinians in the West Bank are looking for a way to work in Israel. The wage and opportunity gaps are so big that people are even willing to degrade and torment themselves, as long as they reach Israel to work.

 

But the illegal residents are a security issue. They are making a mockery of the Israeli law, of the separation fence, which isn't really an obstacle, and of the major work put in by the Shin Bet, the police, the Civil Administration, the Central Command and the relevant government ministries to set criteria for entry permits to work in Israel. It's much more affordable to be an illegal worker than a Palestinian laborer with a work permit in Israel.

 

Illegal Palestinian workers are making a mockery of the Israeli law, of the separation fence and of the major work put in by the Shin Bet, police, Civil Administration and the Central Command (Photo: Gil Lerner)
Illegal Palestinian workers are making a mockery of the Israeli law, of the separation fence and of the major work put in by the Shin Bet, police, Civil Administration and the Central Command (Photo: Gil Lerner)

 

More than 70,000 laborers and merchants with a work permit enter Israel from the West Bank every day. Another 20,000 work with a permit in the Israeli industrial zones in the West Bank and in the settlements. Each of them has to face Israeli bureaucracy, meet specific criteria and be invited by an employer in Israel – otherwise they won't get a permit. And they must work in accordance with the permit: If it's for construction, then only construction, and if it's agriculture – then only agriculture. In order to arrive on time, they must stand in line at 1 am and leave through a recognized crossing, and return at the end of the day through the same crossing.

 

The illegal worker, on the other hand, risks a few tense moments when he crosses the fence, but then he works wherever he wants and returns whenever he wants. If he is caught, he will get a free ride from the police to the fence. If he is caught again, he will be punished, but it's not the kind of punishment that will deter a person seeking to bring food home.

 

This is how it works. We can't say that Israel's law enforcement organizations aren’t doing a thing. There are arrests, there are searches, but the numbers speak for themselves. The main factor which is not being dealt with is the Israelis who employ, transport, accommodate and economically enjoy taking advantage of the illegal workers. There are laws against them, but there is poor enforcement.

 

The illegal workers will continue flowing in not just because of the lack of deterrence, but also for political reasons. One of the main arguments in the Palestinian struggle against Israel today is the freedom of movement. Israeli will likely make an effort to allow the Palestinians more freedom of movement, which may open additional breaches for illegally entering Israel.

 

The Palestinian Authority is using heavy guns in the international arena, but the West Bank is relatively calm. Even Naksa Day, the Palestinian annual day of commemoration which took place last Friday, almost went unnoticed.

 

Defense establishment officials realize that there is an opportunity to take advantage of the calm in order to improve the "positive friction" between the populations. In this framework they are considering, for example, allowing Jews to enter certain Palestinian cities, which may contribute to the local economy, while at the same time expanding the direct economic ease of restrictions on the Palestinian population.

 

In general, there is an intention to allow the Palestinians to properly celebrate the Ramadan holiday this year, as opposed to last year when the cannons roared in Gaza. Among other things, Israel is considering allowing more family visits to the West Bank and more organized trips of Palestinians to Israel. All these plans required tight coordination between the security organizations and the Palestinian Authority. And this is being done. At a time of a diplomatic Palestinian offensive on Israel, this should not be taken lightly.

 

But it will all depend on the security calm. One terror attack by an illegal worker within the Green Line is enough to make all the positive friction plans collapse. So why not handle the illegal workers issue properly?

 


פרסום ראשון: 06.07.15, 17:20
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