From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, January 17, 2024
Likud MKs demand Israel permanently bar Palestinian laborers due to security risk
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Palestinian laborers from the West Bank must not be allowed back into Israel, Likud lawmakers demand in an open letter to their party’s representatives in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet, arguing that their presence poses a security risk and that they can be replaced by foreign workers.
The 12 Likud legislators were joined by Economy Minister Nir Barkat and Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli in arguing that while the economy has suffered billions of shekels in losses since West Bank Palestinians were barred from entry following Hamas’s brutal attack on October 7, their role in the economy “can be filled through arrangements with various countries, where thousands of workers who wish to come to work in Israel will be accommodated.”
The lawmakers question why “the intention is still to continue to rely on [Palestinians] as a workforce” when an overwhelming majority “supported the terrible massacre,” adding that such a policy constitutes “a great security risk and a serious moral failure.”
“Besides our security obligation, we also have a moral duty — we are not responsible for the livelihood of those who support the murder of Jews in the Land of Israel,” they write, dismissing members of the security services who have warned of a West Bank eruption of violence and terrorism due to deteriorating economic conditions there as adhering to a pre-October 7 mindset.
“The time has come to say explicitly that no more Palestinian workers will be allowed to enter Israel. The more the Israeli government hastens to bring in workers from abroad and closes the door on the idea of bringing in the Palestinians, the sooner the economy will return to strength,” they write.
The government’s decision to prohibit the entry of most Palestinian workers from the West Bank since October 7 could cost approximately NIS 3 billion ($830 million) per month, according to the Finance Ministry, which has partnered with other government agencies on plans to encourage the arrival of foreign workers.
Around half of Israel’s construction sites are currently inactive due to a lack of workers, the Globes business daily reported yesterday, citing numbers provided by the Association of Contractors and Builders in Israel.
