Jerusalem District police arrested 11 undocumented Palestinians two days ago at a construction site on Rehov Nahar HaYarden in Beit Shemesh, after finding them hidden behind a specially built drywall partition. The suspects were detained, taken for questioning at the local police station, and later removed from Israeli territory.
Following the raid, Jerusalem District deputy commander Brig. Gen. Ronen Ovadia signed an administrative order restricting use of the site, closing the construction project for 30 days because of the employment of undocumented workers, which police described as a security risk.
Beit Shemesh police commander Lt. Col. Eldad Peretz said, “We cannot move on from a reality in which employers and hosts choose to put profit above public safety. Housing undocumented workers is not a ‘cost saving,’ but dangerous security negligence that poses a real threat to all citizens of the state.” He added that police will continue acting “with determination, using every tool at our disposal” against anyone who breaks the law and endangers the public for personal gain.
