"Israeli" collaborators: "Israel" now treats them like dogs
Source: Daily Star, 19-8-2008
About 100 ("Israeli"-Proxy) Southern Lebanese Army (SLA) soldiers living in "Israel" demonstrated Sunday outside the Kirya army base in Tel Aviv against the discrimination they have suffered in the Jewish state, "Israeli" media reported. "Eight years have lapsed since the pullout from Lebanon and with it, the arrival of numerous SLA fighters who assisted the "Israeli" army and who are presently complaining about inequality in their absorption in "Israel"," "Israeli" daily Yediot Ahronot reported on Monday.
The SLA members ("Israeli" collaborators) on Sunday protested against what they said is the discrimination caused by the "Israeli" government in 2003 when it decided to divide their treatment between two different governmental offices according to military ranking.
"The protesters feel betrayed by the Defense (War) Ministry, which they believe abandoned them after many years of service," Yediot Ahronot said.
Currently, a SLA soldier ranking lieutenant colonel and higher receives treatment from the Defense (War) Ministry and those ranked lower receives assistance from the Immigrant Absorption Ministry.
"We want the minimum that we deserve. I am not a new immigrant, I fought, served in the army and I deserve to be treated by the Defense (War) Ministry. This is what we want. You can't throw people at the Immigrant Absorption Ministry,"a former SLA officer told the "Israeli" daily.
"We are fighting now in order to live as we should, we can't do this," said Claire, who spent her service in the SLA's communications branch and who has felt abandoned ever since "Israel's" pullout from Lebanon.
"I came here eight years ago with my husband and children, we were in the SLA, we had true peace with "Israel". After the "Israeli" military pullout from Lebanon we didn't know what to do, they neglected us.
"We came to this country and we know that people receive all their rights here. For eight years they didn't know how to absorb us like they should have; they divided us," she added in sorrow.
Claire, who lives in Nahariya, has been the sole caretaker of her four children since her husband died.
Also talking to Yediot Ahronot, Marwan, who served in the SLA for two years prior to the pullout and currently resides with his wife and three children in Carmiel, said he was worried about the future of his children.
"We reached a point where a lot of people aren't working, and we cannot continue living this way because it is really hard," he added.
Hakim, who served as an SLA officer for 15 years, was one of the protest's organizers. He told Yediot Ahronot that for lack of a better choice, some of the families returned to Lebanon and ended their lives in jail.
"We are asking for equality; what is happening now is unjust. We worked with the Defense (War) Ministry, not with the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption, and they threw us out like dogs," he said.
"There are 460 families with nothing to eat. We have no one to represent us; if I have a problem I have no one to turn to, we are thrown up into the air."
About 100 ("Israeli"-Proxy) Southern Lebanese Army (SLA) soldiers living in "Israel" demonstrated Sunday outside the Kirya army base in Tel Aviv against the discrimination they have suffered in the Jewish state, "Israeli" media reported. "Eight years have lapsed since the pullout from Lebanon and with it, the arrival of numerous SLA fighters who assisted the "Israeli" army and who are presently complaining about inequality in their absorption in "Israel"," "Israeli" daily Yediot Ahronot reported on Monday.
The SLA members ("Israeli" collaborators) on Sunday protested against what they said is the discrimination caused by the "Israeli" government in 2003 when it decided to divide their treatment between two different governmental offices according to military ranking.
"The protesters feel betrayed by the Defense (War) Ministry, which they believe abandoned them after many years of service," Yediot Ahronot said.
Currently, a SLA soldier ranking lieutenant colonel and higher receives treatment from the Defense (War) Ministry and those ranked lower receives assistance from the Immigrant Absorption Ministry.
"We want the minimum that we deserve. I am not a new immigrant, I fought, served in the army and I deserve to be treated by the Defense (War) Ministry. This is what we want. You can't throw people at the Immigrant Absorption Ministry,"a former SLA officer told the "Israeli" daily.
"We are fighting now in order to live as we should, we can't do this," said Claire, who spent her service in the SLA's communications branch and who has felt abandoned ever since "Israel's" pullout from Lebanon.
"I came here eight years ago with my husband and children, we were in the SLA, we had true peace with "Israel". After the "Israeli" military pullout from Lebanon we didn't know what to do, they neglected us.
"We came to this country and we know that people receive all their rights here. For eight years they didn't know how to absorb us like they should have; they divided us," she added in sorrow.
Claire, who lives in Nahariya, has been the sole caretaker of her four children since her husband died.
Also talking to Yediot Ahronot, Marwan, who served in the SLA for two years prior to the pullout and currently resides with his wife and three children in Carmiel, said he was worried about the future of his children.
"We reached a point where a lot of people aren't working, and we cannot continue living this way because it is really hard," he added.
Hakim, who served as an SLA officer for 15 years, was one of the protest's organizers. He told Yediot Ahronot that for lack of a better choice, some of the families returned to Lebanon and ended their lives in jail.
"We are asking for equality; what is happening now is unjust. We worked with the Defense (War) Ministry, not with the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption, and they threw us out like dogs," he said.
"There are 460 families with nothing to eat. We have no one to represent us; if I have a problem I have no one to turn to, we are thrown up into the air."
