Disengagement holiday
Foreign workers say Gaza withdrawal will mean fewer immigration police to give them problems
It is not only the Israeli left that is looking forward to leaving Gaza: thousands of illegal foreign workers are also eagerly anticipating the beginning of the disengagement plan in August, in hopes that immigration officers currently committed to finding and deporting them will find themselves otherwise disposed.
Ursula, an illegal worker from the Ukraine, has worked in Israel cleaning houses for four years. She told Ynet she can’t wait for the pullout to begin, so there won’t be immigration officers around threatening to evict her from her small home.
"I am happy they will not be here in August,” she said. “My life will be a lot better and I will be able to go out without fear.
“It’s not nice to stay inside all day hiding from the officials. Everyone else walks free, but I live like I’m in jail. I have a little girl and I am afraid to get caught because she will be left alone. I really hope that in August, my life will be much quieter.”
Just waiting
Zari Hazan, a civil rights lawyer who specializes in foreign workers, told Ynet many of his clients called his office yesterday to ask if the disengagement had begun.
“In light of the television images of IDF soldiers destroying abandoned buildings near Gush Katif, many people called me to ask if the disengagement had started.
The Filipino community in Israel has suspended all activities until August. They are not going out together on Sundays, as they always have. They can't wait for disengagement,” said Saban.
Saban estimates a healthy portion of the immigration police will be co-opted for disengagement duty in Gush Katif.
“The community of foreign workers here is awaiting the disengagement more anxiously than any other community in the country,” he said.
