Palestinian Authority blames Israel for construction deaths

The Palestinian Authority labor minister said Monday that he holds Israeli authorities responsible for a spate of fatal incidents involving Palestinian construction workers in Israel.

Mamoun Abu Shahla said his ministry is following developments with “great interest and worry” after the collapse on Monday of a parking garage under construction in Tel Aviv, the official PA news site Wafa reported.

At least some of the casualties are reportedly Palestinian construction workers, though there has been no official confirmation of their national identity yet.

One of the two deceased victims was identified as a 28-year-old foreign worker from Ukraine, while the second victim “has yet to be identified,” police said.

Abu Shahla accused the Israeli authorities of making Palestinians laborers work in “untenable” conditions.

MK Ayman Odeh (Joint List), visiting the wounded in Ichilov Hospital where one person was in serious condition, said in a television interview that the victims came “from all parts of society” and are both Jews and Arabs.

“Thirty-two people have died [in construction site accidents] since the beginning of the year,” he noted.

“This demands, now, a state investigative committee. We’ll fight for this demand,” he vowed.

At least two people were killed and 24 injured after a tractor drove across the roof of the construction site, causing a multiple-floor collapse onto construction crews. Seven workers were still missing on Monday afternoon and rescuers were working feverishly to reach them.

Access to the trapped workers was complicated because much of the building was underground.

Ichilov hospital opened an emergency hotline (dial 1255133 from any Israeli phone line) for families looking to check if their relatives were among the injured.