A Thai citizen working on a farm in the Jordan Valley settlement of Hamra was stabbed and seriously wounded by Arab attackers Wednesday night.
The incident was the first in the present wave of violence in which foreign workers employed by Jews were attacked by Arabs.
The Thai worker told his Jewish employers that he and his friend were set upon by three Arabs. He sustained head and shoulder injuries while his friend, also Thai, managed to flee unharmed.
The assault came amid talk in recent days of replacing Palestinian laborers from the administered territories with other workers, including foreigners if necessary.
Meanwhile, the nation’s new police chief, Rafi Peled, said Wednesday he believed terrorists from the Islamic fundamentalist group Hamas were responsible for Tuesday’s murder of two policemen in their car near Hadera.
Peled, who took over Tuesday from Ya’acov Terner as police inspector general, spoke at the funeral of Daniel Hazout, one of the murdered policemen.
The other victim, Mordechai Yisrael, was buried Tuesday.
Thousands attended a mass demonstration Wednesday night in front of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s residence to protest what they consider a lax government security policy.
It was the largest anti-government demonstration since the present wave of Arab attacks on Israelis began.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
