Police uncover abuse of foreign workers

By REBECCA ANNA STOIL
Two Immigration Police officers were attacked on Sunday while checking into allegations of worker abuse at Moshav Noga in southern Israel. The police officers arrived on the scene after receiving intelligence that foreign workers were being housed in inhumane conditions, and found 60 Thai workers, who were sleeping in tin shanties and inside cardboard boxes. 20 workers who were found to be illegally residing in Israel were arrested. At the time of the police discovery, one of the moshav residents who employed the workers arrived on the scene, and began ramming a police patrol car with his vehicle, before attacking one of the police officers. A policeman, who was sitting in the patrol car, suffered neck injuries. Another moshav resident then sprang into action, shutting off the area's electricity, enabling 15 of the illegal workers to flee from the police. Police arrested the moshav residents involved in the incident, on charges of attacking police officers, damaging police property and interfering with a police inquiry. Police said Sunday evening that they intended to issue indictments against both of the moshav residents.