TEL AVIV – According
to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the killing of
Israeli Occupation Forces
(IOF) soldier Cedrick Garin, a 23-year-old with Filipino origins, last month in
the
Gaza Strip alongside 20 other soldiers has reignited the debate on the
rights of foreign workers in Israel.
اضافة اعلان
The newspaper delved
into aspects of this debate concerning those who are not Jewish but lost their
lives in a war waged by a government that barely acknowledges them. For many,
joining the IOF was the optimal solution, a choice made by them or imposed by
their parents to secure citizenship in a nation that defines itself exclusively
as a national homeland for Jews, Khaberni reported.
Garin was required to
serve in the IOF to gain citizenship. His death also provided an opportunity
for his parents to obtain it. After the killing, the Israeli government decided
to “bestow gratitude upon them,” as stated by
Benjamin Netanyahu. Garin’s mother,
Imelda, tearfully stated during his funeral, "What should I do with the
citizenship now that he’s gone?"
Garin’s story is one shared by many foreign workers in Israel
Born to Filipino
parents in Israel, he was raised by a single mother who worked as a cleaner
while raising him in a foreign country. Imelda arrived in Israel in the 1990s,
like hundreds of women, many of them Filipinas, brought in by recruitment
agencies with government approval to work in the healthcare sector. These women
married and gave birth in Israel. However, they were often forced to part with
their children by sending them out of Israel under the threat of canceling
their work visas.
Garin’s father had
been deported from Israel when Cedrick was just two years old. Father and son
met face-to-face only twice. Despite these challenges, Cedrick fought to enlist
in the IOF as a practical path to obtaining citizenship. He ultimately became a
soldier in the Givati Brigade.
Toward the end of his
service in 2021, he received a certificate of distinction from the head of the
IOF’s Southern Command for his service, and he was granted Israeli citizenship
upon completing his army duty.
However, Garin was
laid to rest in Tel Aviv’s Givat Shaul cemetery in 2024. He was among the 21
soldiers killed in Gaza when his team came under RPG attack, resulting in a
blast that collapsed two buildings with soldiers inside. This incident marked
the single deadliest event for the IOF since the Gaza ground operation began.
Systemic racism in Israel
The plight of foreign
workers like Cedrick remains a complex issue in Israel. Many of them, including
Filipinos, lack recognition from society and the government, despite being
classified as foreign workers and asylum seekers. The challenges they face, including
the struggle to secure citizenship, can be shocking when viewed from a
different perspective. The Israeli government’s treatment of these women, who
often had to part with their children due to visa restrictions, has been
criticized as unjust.
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