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3 ‫עמוד‬

Rightsgroups slamInterior
offici
over remarkson illegal
workers
Yishai:Expulsion willleadpeople
policy to leave willingl
By RON FRIEDMAN The clinic, which providesmedical
carefor uninsured foreignworkers,
Human rights organizationson and others, was full of patients
refugees
Wednesday accused Interior Ministry coming to see the volunteer doctors
officialsof inciting
xenophobiafollow- who treat patientsfor everything
from
ing statements in the press from Interi- influenza to cancer.
or Minister EliYishai and Tziki Sela,the "We would like to be able to close
head of the ImmigrationAuthority's Oz down this clinic.We think it'sthe gov-
enforcement unit. ■■
ernment's job to take care of these
The cover of Ma'ariv featured an inter- people,not ours," said Ran Cohen
view with Sela, in which he lashed out IS 1m from Physiciansfor Human Rights.
againstorganizationsthat helpmigrant DEPORi/aTIO* "We think the government should
workers. "Theywant to bringabout the AGAINST U.M. take for caring for its
responsibility
destruction of Israel,"he said. inhabitants, especially
if we're talking
"We mean business. Take yourselves about people it permittedentry to in
and leave We
willingly. will give you the firstplace.
flighttickets. Leave. Return to your "When it'sconvenient, the govern-
homelands," he said, CHILD ment boasts of Israel'shuman rights
In reference to the 002,1
children of record and the great organizations
illegalworkers, whose deportationwas that it has. The government had no

delayedfollowing decision by Prime problem with the Sudanese refugees


Minister Binyamin Netanyahu last when they wrapped them in Israeli
Sela said, "At the end of the PEOPLE PROTEST against government
Thursday, flagsand took them to [the UN's
the result will be that with all the policy on
migrant workers and Sudanese
day, European headquartersin] Geneva,"
refugeesin Tel Aviv. (KobiW01f/AP)
painand sorrow, there is nothingto do. said Cohen.
There is large group of 002,1
children "What we heard today was incite-
who have no legalpermitsand that's "We are unique in that overall there ment, againstorganizationsand against
that. They are justguestshere." are not many blatant public displaysof foreigners.Such words
contribute to
Later that morning, Yishai appeared hatred toward foreigners, we don't wit- xenophobia,especially when they're
on radio talk show and defended ness the type of hate crimes againstfor- said during an economic crisis like we
Sela'sremarks. eignersthat you see in Europe,"she have today."
"Tziki [Sela]said what he believes in," said. "I know Jews around the world often
the minister said. "He was in the army "However, we do see that elected offi- support the Israeligovernment'spoli-
for many years. He dedicated his whole cials and government employeesallow cies automatically,"said Cohen, "but
lifeto serving the country. He sees his themselves to express themselves using it'simportantthey look at this critical-
service as Zionist mission of utmost racist and vulgarterms that you would- ly and ask questions like: How come
importanceto the State of Israel,to get n't see in any other Western country. the government is flagrantly ignoring
these people out of the country and There's an anomaly. Those who lead the Supreme Court's decision on the
stop them from entering it.He, and all and encourage the hatred come from binding policy?Why is it that four
those who work with him, are deserving the top." years after the first mass deportation
of the gratitude and appreciation of all Korzen said that foreignworkers she we alreadyhave another one on our
Israelicitizens." meets generallyhave positivethings to hands? What kind of immigration pol-
Yishai said the
tough approachwould say about Israelisand about the way icy do the Jews of the world want to

immigration to Israel.
help stop illegal they are treated in day-to-day
life.She see Israel have?"

"The moment there is deportation,pointedto gap between the support Kav LaOved (Worker's Hotline),
or rather, an expulsion policyin place, she sees at anti-deportation protests and another nonprofit organization,sent
then people won't enter the country on the street, and the words of Sela and out response statement which read,
and more people will leave willingly.Yishai. "Sela'smiserable comments bringsthe
The moment there is no expulsion
pol- "It's easy to stir up hate and fear, delegitimization
campaign that the
icy,tens of thousands of peoplewill much easier than making rational argu- authorities are running against rights
in tourists,stay,take up jobs ments. But that is the way of dark to low, and display
come as
organization new

that belong to Israelis,and have chil- regimes. advise them to stop making basic misunderstandingof the role
dren. these types of statements and instead
these groups fillin democratic society.
"If workers made it in here,
000,003 face the legitimate publiccriticism that "It is out of deep concern for the
believe me, ifthere won't be clear pol- is beingheard in recent months." nature of Israeli societythat Kav

icy,the number will rise to million," In the wake of the comments, Physi- LaOved will continue tirelessly to
to act
he said. cians for Human Rights-Israel invited protect the rightsof allIsraeli workers
Shevy Korzen, executive director of reportersto their clinic in Jaffa,to see migrantworkers, Israeliworkers, Pales-
the Hotline for Migrant Workers, for themselves whether their actions in tinian workers, and asylum-
refugees
expressed dismay that such comments support of migrant workers are the type seekers and to advance open public
would come from senior publicoffi- of thingsthat are intended to destroy debate about the policyof arrest and
cial the state /‫ ׳‬the statement said

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