Erdan announces new measures against employing illegal Palestinian laborers

New regulations will allow police to close businesses and construction sites for 30 days if they catch them employing Palestinians without legal permits to work and reside in Israel.

By BEN HARTMAN
Updated: JANUARY 11, 2016 00:17
Gilad Erdan (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
Gilad Erdan
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
The Public Security Ministry on Sunday adopted a series of measures to increase punishment for those employing and assisting Palestinians illegally residing in Israel.
In a statement Sunday announcing the new legal measures, the ministry said their intention is to deter employers from hiring illegal Palestinian laborers, who have repeatedly taken part in recent terrorist attacks in Israel.
The new regulations will allow police to close businesses and construction sites for 30 days if they catch them employing Palestinians without legal permits to work and reside in Israel. In addition, the court system can extend the closure until the end of legal proceedings against the offender.
The regulations also allow for a penalty of up to two years in prison or a fine of NIS 75,000 for an employer caught hiring Palestinians without permits, even in the case of a first offense. In addition, repeat offenders can face up to four years in prison and fines as high as NIS 226,000, and corporations can be fined up to NIS 300,000 for a one-time offense.
Announcing the amendment on Sunday, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said that “the recent wave of terrorism has proven the danger of illegal Palestinian labors residing in Israeli cities and construction sites. We must increase the punishment against those who employ and assist them, so that it will no longer be worth it for them [employers] to endanger the lives of Israeli citizens.”