Forces nab 40 Palestinians trying to enter Israel without permits
Suspects transferred for questioning; army says raids meant to crack down on those helping tens of thousands of people illegally enter Israel for work
Judah Ari Gross is The Times of Israel's religions and Diaspora affairs correspondent.
Israeli forces arrested 40 Palestinian men trying to enter Israel illegally early Sunday morning, nabbing them near the security fence south of Jerusalem, the army said.
The joint operation was carried out by soldiers from the Israel Defense Forces and officers from the Israel Police, who staged a series of raids along the so-called “seam line,” the area in the West Bank between the security fence and the actual border with Israel.
The army said the operation was aimed at both preventing the Palestinians from entering Israel without a work permit and at halting the loose networks of people who help Palestinians cross into Israel illegally.
The army said the 40 suspects arrested in the operation were handed over to police and the Shin Bet for interrogation, presumably to gather information about those helping them cross the border.
Israeli officials have estimated that between 50,000 and 60,000 Palestinians work in Israel illegally, often in construction.
Law enforcement occasionally cracks down on the phenomenon, staging mass arrests at building sites, often in the wake of a terror attack, but generally turns a blind eye to the issue.
Elsewhere in the West Bank, the IDF arrested 10 Palestinian suspects believed to have taken part in violent protests or to have thrown rocks and Molotov cocktails at Israeli troops and roadways, the army said.
The Times of Israel Community.