From the Liveblog of
Sunday, October 22, 2023
As foreign workers head home amid war, ministry says West Bank Palestinians aged 60+ will replace them
Carrie Keller-Lynn is a former political and legal correspondent for The Times of Israel
The Agriculture Ministry has expressed support for the daily entrance of some 8,000 West Bank agricultural workers to Israel, in light of the high number of foreign workers who have left Israel due to the ongoing war.
Amid the tense security situation, the Agriculture Ministry proposes to limit permits to Palestinian women and men over 60, in a proposal suggested on Friday during a National Security Council meeting. The proposal will be voted on at an upcoming cabinet meeting.
Only agricultural workers already familiar to the farmers employing them will be considered, and they will be subject to security approval.
This proposal is similar to existing arrangements to bring Palestinian workers to support the hotel industry, says the ministry.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir releases a statement on Sunday opposing the idea, saying there is “inherent danger in the introduction of Palestinian workers into towns during war.”
Ben Gvir says that the Israel Police backs his stance.
Neither the police nor the Shin Bet have made a public comment on the proposal.
The Agriculture Ministry says that there is a shortfall of about 10,000 laborers, and it will be working to extend existing residence permits for foreign workers and is working with the Population and Immigration Authority to bring foreign workers from additional countries.
Since the start of the war, 2,000 Thai foreign workers have left the country, reports Army Radio.
The Government Press Office has said that 15 Thai nationals were killed in Hamas’s devastating October 7 terror onslaught, and another five are missing or abducted into the Gaza Strip.
