Yesterday's double murder of two Gush Katif residents by a Palestinian terrorist who worked in Jewish greenhouses brought to the fore once again the issue of Arab labor. Oz Kadmon, a farmer who raises lettuce and other leafy vegetables in the Jewish community of Kfar Darom on Israel's southern Mediterranean coast, spoke to Arutz-7 today about the problem:
"I've been here for 12 years, and for the first two years or so I had some Arab workers, but since then we have had only Jewish workers or others, such as Thais. I made the decision that I could not continue hiring Arabs under the circumstances… In Kfar Darom we do not hire Arabs, including for construction."
Asked if hiring Arab workers isn't cheaper, he said,
"As in everything else, you have to pay for what you believe in… Given the current sorry state of agriculture here, it's not an easy decision. You have to know how to run the business, and it could even be that some farms will close as a result. The Agriculture Ministry, the local government, and other relevant bodies have to make it possible for businesses to choose this option… Thank G-d, many more farmers here are no longer hiring Arabs, such as the Alei Katif company. I call on more to do the same; it won't be easy at first, but it's important - not only for security, but also because we simply should not support a population that supports terrorism."
Kadmon said that the town of Kfar Darom absorbed another ten families this past year, "and we call on other families to join us in a genuine, dynamic, living community."
"I've been here for 12 years, and for the first two years or so I had some Arab workers, but since then we have had only Jewish workers or others, such as Thais. I made the decision that I could not continue hiring Arabs under the circumstances… In Kfar Darom we do not hire Arabs, including for construction."
Asked if hiring Arab workers isn't cheaper, he said,
"As in everything else, you have to pay for what you believe in… Given the current sorry state of agriculture here, it's not an easy decision. You have to know how to run the business, and it could even be that some farms will close as a result. The Agriculture Ministry, the local government, and other relevant bodies have to make it possible for businesses to choose this option… Thank G-d, many more farmers here are no longer hiring Arabs, such as the Alei Katif company. I call on more to do the same; it won't be easy at first, but it's important - not only for security, but also because we simply should not support a population that supports terrorism."
Kadmon said that the town of Kfar Darom absorbed another ten families this past year, "and we call on other families to join us in a genuine, dynamic, living community."