A major security failure was exposed on Wednesday when three Palestinian illegal residents from the Hebron area were arrested just meters away from Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich as he delivered a speech at a conference in Tel Aviv. The incident, which unfolded during a live event at a hotel, has raised serious questions about the security protocols surrounding high-level Israeli officials.
The three men were reportedly employed by a company hired to build the stage for the urban renewal conference at the InterContinental Hotel. In doing so, the illegal workers bypassed all security checkpoints managed by the Magen Unit, which is responsible for protecting government ministers.
According to a witness, the drama unfolded as Smotrich was speaking to the audience. Plainclothes police officers from the Yarkon District, assisting the Magen Unit, noticed three suspicious young men speaking in Arabic in close proximity to the minister. The officers decided to question them on the spot, and it was quickly discovered that the individuals, all in their twenties, were in Israel without the required permits.
"We were sitting at the conference, and suddenly we saw something totally bizarre," the eyewitness said. "Police officers started questioning a few young men while the minister was speaking. They were taken out of the hall, and it was only later that we found out they were illegal residents. It was a bizarre incident."
