International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, Dec. 2, 2002

Thailand's Prime Minister has called upon thousands of countrymen currently working in Israel to consider returning home. He says that the conflict between Arabs and Israelis here is liable to worsen, and that they should be extra cautious.

Two Thai workers and two soldiers were wounded in shooting attack in the Gaza settlement of Bedolah in central Gush Katif on Friday, after a Palestinian gunman, armed with a Kalashnikov rifle and grenades, infiltrated the hothouse area where they worked.

Having fired on an Israeli vehicle upon entering the community, the terrorist headed for cover in the hothouse area, wounding two soldiers in the ensuing gun battle, before shooting at the living quarters of the Thai workers, wounding one seriously and the other lightly.

The community’s security head immediately entered the area in a bulletproof vehicle and evacuated the injured workers to hospital in Beersheba. After a three-hour manhunt, a border police unit finally cornered the terrorist and shot him, confirming that he acted alone.

The plight of foreign workers, whose presence in Israel has markedly increased with the escalation of Palestinian terrorism, is a source of considerable controversy. Many are employed for low sums in poor conditions, replacing the huge Palestinian workforce pool largely unavailable to Israeli employers after the intifada brought about a security clamp-down in the territories.

Several foreign laborers from Romania, China and the Philippines have been killed in Palestinian terrorist attacks during the 26-month intifada.

Meanwhile Sunday saw the arrival of the first US immigrant to arrive in Israel under the new Government aid package governing "Aliyha" – the Jewish law of "return." As of the 1st December, immigrants from the wealthy "West" and in particular, North America, are due to receive the same financial assistance on arrival in Israel as those originating in "countries in distress," like Ethiopia or the former Soviet Union.

The decision to extend the aid benefits to as much as $6000, depending on the size and nature of the family, was taken by the Israeli Cabinet at the end of October. Deputy Immigrant Absorption Minister Yuli Edelstein described the decision as historic and said that it represented a turning point in the way in which the State of Israel related to Diaspora Jewry.