"I'll tighten enforcement on foreign workers," promised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the annual meeting of the Manufacturers Association of Israel last night.
"One of the problems we face is a result of Israel's economic success. We're now defined as a developed economy, and in an international comparison, we got through the crisis in better shape than almost any other developed country. The nations and economies of some of our neighbors are really suffering. This makes us, our developed economy, attractive to the populations from less developed nations. Israel is, in effect, the only country which you can reach by foot from more battered countries in the Third World, entering Israel via Sinai. There's a risk that this illegal infiltration will increase."
Netanyahu also pursued his aggressive stance against foreign workers, saying, "I don’t know whether you've been Eilat or Arad recently, but parts of them have changed unrecognizably. The same is true of Tel Aviv. These changes are not welcome, and we must stop them. I'm flying from here to Har Harif in the Negev and to Mevu'ot Gaza in order to create a decision that will establish an obstacle to this infiltration from Africa into Israel. The barrier will be partly land-based in the north and south, and in middle we'll take advantage of electronic items and patrols. We're going to create a barrier. Otherwise, the flood will come, and we can't allow ourselves to be swept away. We founded a Jewish and democratic state, and we can't let it turn into a foreign workers state."
Netanyahu also discussed infrastructures, and reiterated his vision of an efficient transportation network for high-speed travel throughout the country. "The construction of Road 6 created a traffic corridor the length of the country, but in our vision, we want to change the situation as fast as possible, as was done in the US. From New York or Boston, you won't encounter a traffic light until Los Angeles. In Israel, if you want to get from Kiryat Shmona or Eilat, it's like parting the Red Sea. That's why we're going to build a railway network that will link the entire country as has been done in other countries."
Despite delays in building traffic arteries, such as lateral Road 531, and delays with the light railways in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, Netanyahu promised, "We'll build a transportation network from the Negev to the Galilee. We must exploit our advantages of our small size to make Israeli accessible to all its residents. Most of the population will be able to reside within an hour or two from Tel Aviv, in the worst case. This will be a great revolution."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on January 21, 2010
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