Anita Tucker, who served up until last year as Netzer Hazani\'s general secretary, told Arutz-7\'s Yosef Zalmanson today, \"The Arab workers used to enter from a different gate, but the army recently moved the entrance because it was on the main road and vulnerable to shooting. However, the new location is in back of the town, very much out of our sight and in sight of the many Arab houses that have recently been built nearby. The security coordinator often said that he felt very uncomfortable there… The bomb was set off by remote control, exactly when he was standing apart from the workers he was escorting out. It was miraculous, because it was a tremendously loud explosion - I heard it from here - yet he was hurt relatively lightly…\"
When asked about the phenomenon of Arab workers entering the town during these times of war, she said, \"The ideal obviously is that we live in peace with our neighbors. In fact, we are the ones who are trying to do exactly that - by employing them, and in other ways. It is also not our dream to support foreign workers from Thailand… However, given the current circumstances, we would employ more Thai workers if the government would allow us to. But we do not have approval for more foreign workers, and the Arabs we employ simply want to work and support their families. I work with them every day, I know all about their families and their problems, etc. - but before they arrive every day, our security coordinator bodily checks them for hidden weapons…\"
Many Netzer Hazani residents have private farms, 10-15 dunams (2.5 to 4 acres) of hothouses on which they grow organic and bug-free vegetables for export and domestic consumption. Explaining the economic necessities of employing Arab workers at the current time, Anita concluded, \"We constantly receive letters of support and encouragement, and people tell us that we are brave heroes and the like - but even brave heroes have to earn a living.\"
When asked about the phenomenon of Arab workers entering the town during these times of war, she said, \"The ideal obviously is that we live in peace with our neighbors. In fact, we are the ones who are trying to do exactly that - by employing them, and in other ways. It is also not our dream to support foreign workers from Thailand… However, given the current circumstances, we would employ more Thai workers if the government would allow us to. But we do not have approval for more foreign workers, and the Arabs we employ simply want to work and support their families. I work with them every day, I know all about their families and their problems, etc. - but before they arrive every day, our security coordinator bodily checks them for hidden weapons…\"
Many Netzer Hazani residents have private farms, 10-15 dunams (2.5 to 4 acres) of hothouses on which they grow organic and bug-free vegetables for export and domestic consumption. Explaining the economic necessities of employing Arab workers at the current time, Anita concluded, \"We constantly receive letters of support and encouragement, and people tell us that we are brave heroes and the like - but even brave heroes have to earn a living.\"