Gideon Sa'ar, Miri Regev
Gideon Sa'ar, Miri RegevFlash 90

MK Miri Regev (Likud), the Chairperson of the Knesset's Committee for the Interior and Environment, mocked High Court Judge Uzi Fogelman's arguments in favor of anulling parts of the Infiltrators' Law.

The judge noted that infiltrators who are detained at the Holot center will have difficulty devoting time to their “hobbies” and finding partners from the opposite sex.

"It is time that the judges in the state of Israel understand that there is real human hardship in Israel,” she said. “I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw that the High Court was concerned with the infiltrators' hobbies and love matches. Has the High Court turned into a matchmaker?”

MK Regev promised that by December 22, a new bill would be submitted to the Knesset “that will also provide a solution to the matchmaking issue, but will continue the idea of returning the infiltrators to their countries of origin.”

The High Court struck down key sections of the Infiltrator Law two weeks ago, in a ruling that has caused anguish among residents of the working class neighborhoods where most infiltrators live, which have seen a spike in violent crime due to their presence.

"Israel cannot absorb illegal immigrants"

Interior Minister Gideon Sa'ar said in the debate that “whoever thinks that the danger of illegal infiltration into Israel is behind us is wrong. It isn't a danger that has passed, it is a danger that lurks.”

"There is one basic element that will not change in the foreseeable future: Israel is a western country with a relatively high GDP compared to the region. In the neighboring countries and the wider circle there is more poverty and completely different living conditions. What will happen if our legislation does not provide a solution?”

Sa'ar added that the stream of infiltrators voluntarily leaving Israel and going back to their countries of origin ended on April 1, when the High Court gave its initial ruling. “There were people who made sure to whisper to the infiltrators that the High Court would rule thus – and that is why they should stay.”

"Whoever claims that Israeli society can absorb this, is mistaken,” he stated. “Anyone who knows anything about immigration knows that this kind of absorption will immediately lead to requests of family members to join. The High Court verdict, if we accept it as the final word, will not allow the state to deal with the phenomenon of infiltration. I think it is wrong and creates a reverse normative chain, at the top of which are those who infiltrated illegally, and at the bottom – citizens of the state of Israel.”