Israel eyes more entry permits to Palestinian workers to ‘douse tensions’

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM — Israel plans to increase the number of entry permits it grants to Palestinian workers, Palestinian and Israeli sources said on Monday, in a drive to ease economic hardship that has contributed to a wave of Palestinian attacks.

Publicly, the Israeli government has accused Palestinian leaders, including President Mahmoud Abbas and Islamist groups, of inciting violence. But Israeli officials have also cited desperation among young Palestinians who see a bleak economic future for the occupied West Bank.

A defence ministry official confirmed a report in the Haaretz newspaper on Monday which said Israel would increase the number of work permits given to Palestinians by 30,000. "A few plans are being looked at," a second Israeli official said.

About 55,000 Palestinians currently have permits to work in Israel, mostly in construction and agriculture, the Bank of Israel says. They must clear Israeli security checks before the documents are issued.

An additional 30,000 undocumented Palestinian labourers also enter Israel each day. The new plan would raise the number of Palestinian workers vetted by Israeli officials.

It was not immediately clear when the plan would be implemented and whether it needed final approval from Israel's security cabinet.

The Palestinian Workers' Union said it had received notification of the permit plan from Israel.

“Workers are supposed to begin to apply for the permits,” said its secretary, Shaher Saad.

In the West Bank, about 30 per cent of Palestinians between the ages of 20 and 29 are unemployed, according to data from the Palestinian Statistics Bureau for the third quarter of 2015.

Israeli Workers’ Hotline, a rights group, said Palestinian labourers were often subject to exploitation.

“They provide cheap labour,” said Raja Zaatry, the group’s coordinator for Palestinian workers, adding that they rarely enjoyed pension, health and minimum wage rights.