Israel to Offer More Work Permits for Palestinians, Bennett Says
Israel Considering Expanding Number of Work Permits for Gazans
(Bloomberg) -- Israel will provide more work permits for Palestinians in the West Bank and is considering a similar move for inhabitants of the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Tuesday.
The government last expanded the quota for Gaza to 10,000 in October, months after an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas militants who control the blockaded coastal territory.
“Through business, through economy, through jobs, it’s the most sustainable way to bring stability,” Bennett said in the World Economic Forum’s virtual conference.
Since taking office in June, the Bennett-led government has worked more cooperatively with the Palestinians, through meetings and steps meant to benefit them economically and to increase security cooperation, in an effort to keep hostilities from flaring.
The Erez crossing between Gaza and Israel was reopened to traders in August after a 16-month closure due to the coronavirus pandemic. The shutdown had further pummeled Gaza’s already weak economy, squeezed by war and an Israeli and Egyptian blockade that’s been in effect since Hamas wrested control of the area in 2007. Israel says the blockade is necessary to prevent Hamas from importing arms and materials it could use to attack it.
Approximately 90,000 Palestinians from the West Bank currently have the right to work in Israel, while a further 35,000 have permits to work in the Israeli settlements in the West Bank, according to an Israeli military spokesman.
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