Three Israeli contractors that carried out projects at sensitive military facilities employed illegal Palestinian workers using fake identities, the Israel Police revealed on Monday night after arresting nine suspects in the case.
In at least one instance, the illegal workers allegedly documented an Israel Defense Forces base and stole military equipment, including weapons and ammunition, according to the ongoing police investigation.
Dozens of illegals entered restricted IDF facilities using fake ID cards, all of which bore the name of a single Arab Israeli citizen, the Ynet outlet reported, adding that security checks were lax.
חוקרי היחידה למאבק בפשיעה כלכלית (יאל"כ) בלהב 433 עצרו חשודים בהכנסת שוהים בלתי חוקיים ובלתי מורשים לבסיסי צה"ל. נתפסו אמצעים ששימשו לזיוף תעודות שונות ובהן רישיונות רכב, רישיונות נהיגה ומסמכים שונים pic.twitter.com/zMJjCwrPkV
— משטרת ישראל (@IL_police) November 4, 2024
The owners of the three firms were arrested on Monday alongside an Israeli Defense Ministry employee whom they allegedly bribed to turn a blind eye.
Five additional suspects, Palestinians from the village of Yatta near Hebron in Judea, were arrested by Israeli forces last week on charges of forging identity cards and other official documents.
A court extended the arrest of the three main suspects until Thursday, while the fourth Israeli suspect will remain in custody at least until Tuesday. In addition, the five Palestinians captured last week will be brought before a judge at the Judea Military Court on Tuesday.
Following the deadly Oct. 13 Hezbollah drone attack on the IDF’s Golani Brigade training base, Israel’s Arutz 7 news outlet reported that Arab workers were brought in to repair the damage caused by the strike.
An IDF spokesman told the outlet at the time that it would not respond to criticism, as all companies authorized to carry out work at army bases are licensed contractors who only employ laborers with Israeli ID cards.
