Israel to grant working permits for Palestinians in West Bank

Head of Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions, Shaher Saad, said Wednesday that Israel informed them that it will grant 10,000 working permits for Palestinian workers of the West Bank into Israel.

Saad told Xinhua that this step shall decrease unemployment rates and it is expected to raise the number of workers to 30,000.

He said that the 10,000 workers will work inside Israel but not in settlements, which employ nearly 35,000 Palestinians.

Settlements are deemed illegal under international law and by the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) and the international community.

Currently, about 48,000 Palestinians are granted special permits to work inside Israel, while the estimates of those who are working without working permits approach 50,000.

The Israeli public radio reported that an Israeli-Palestinian agreement was reached between Israeli Finance Minster Moshe Kahlon and Palestinian Minister of Civil Affairs Hussain Al-Sheikh, to increase the number of Palestinian workers aiming to cover a shortage of workers in the construction sector in Israel.

According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the unemployment rate in Palestinian territories is 25.6 percent, 16.3 percent in West Bank and 41.6 percent in the Gaza Strip.
 [Xinhua - china.org.cn]
13/4/16