The Interior Committee headed by MK Dudu Amsalem (Likud) the proposed “illegals law” on Sunday. The law aims to administer harsher punishment on employers who hire illegal Arab infiltrators, and to extend the temporary order prohibiting the transportation of illegal aliens by two years.
The bill is in fact two separate legislative proposals. The first was filed under the previous Knesset by MKs Moti Yogev, Shuli Mualem, Nissan Slomiansky (all from Jewish Home), and Yaakov Margi (Shas) and received approval by the current Knesset platform. The second proposal is a government bill.
A vote is due to take place Monday as the committee seeks to merge the two proposals into one law.
Since the start of the wave of terror attacks last September, there were 73 attacks within the Green Line (1949 Armistice borders) including 27 attacks carried out by 32 illegal aliens (37 percent). The legal adviser to the Ministry of Public Security, Yoel Hadar, who provided the figure said, “we must be more strict on the issue of illegal aliens and thereby try to reduce the amount of attacks.”
“The Minister of Public Security Gilad Erdan is on the right track by providing proper equipment to enforcement authorities to handle the harsh reality. However, it is equally important to take care of the gaps in the fence, crossings and give more work permits to Palestinians. Someone who has a work permit, has more to lose,” said committee chairman Amsalem.
MK Yogev added that, “The law is another tool in the toolbox, which should include intelligence, operations and deterrence. I am in favor of increasing number of permits to the Palestinians. It’s better to encourage those whom the Shabak (Shin Bet/Israel Security Agency) approves than to completely prevent entry to those persons who had been denied. Not one drop of blood is worth being spilled by an illegal infiltrator.”
The bill expands the definition of employer, and the penalties for hiring an illegal alien will fall on the employer, the main contractor and/or the responsible corporation. Violation of the proposed law will be defined as a crime, and punishable with a four year prison sentence and a 226,000 shekel fine ($68,600). Additionally, a district commander will be allowed to order limitations on the site which hired illegals up to 30 days and a court could extend this order to an additional 60 days.
Chief Superintendent Aya Gorecki of the Ministry of Public Security has made it clear that “the law is not intended to target employers, but rather companies and corporations, who are the biggest beneficiaries. The amendment also defines an employer as an indirect employer, a broker and contractor personnel. The idea is to include all those indirectly involved in employing illegal aliens.”
