More Palestinians find Israeli work despite conflict
Economic growth in Israel and chronic unemployment in the occupied West Bank is seeing more Palestinians cross to the “enemy” side seeking work.
The numbers have almost doubled in five years and even another right wing victory in today’s elections is unlikely to change that.
“All the governments came and went and we went to work, whether with a permit or by smuggling,” 58-year-old construction worker Naji Mohammed said.
He has been working in Israel for nearly 20 years to support his nine-member family.
“No government has affected our work.”
In the late afternoon at the Nilin checkpoint, west of the West Bank city of Ramallah, salesmen flog goods to the hundreds of Palestinians returning from a day’s work.
Most didn’t want to talk politics for fear of jeopardising their permits.
Israel occupied the West Bank in a 1967 war.
More than 400,000 Israelis now live in the territory with roughly 2.7 million Palestinians, living in settlements considered illegal under international law.
The Jewish state began construction of a barrier cutting off the West Bank during the violence of the second Palestinian uprising, or intifada, and Palestinians need an Israeli permit to cross.
In 2015, when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formed a government seen as the most rightwing in Israel’s history, around 45,000 Palestinians had Israeli work permits, according to official Palestinian figures.
Four years on that number is around 85,000, the overwhelming majority from the occupied West Bank.
Tens of thousands of others have permits to work in Israeli settlements or sneak into Israel and work illegally, Palestinian officials estimate.
Israelis see the arrangement as a win-win. Palestinian officials accuse the Jewish state of suppressing their economy and sucking up their labour to cut costs.
Israel did not confirm the exact figures, but said the number of permits for employment in Israel had risen 160 percent since 2012.
Buffeted by strong economic growth in recent years, Israel has seen a boost in demand for affordable labour, particularly in construction.
Workers typically earn between $70 and $100 per day working in Israel or in settlements, compared to just $20-$30 with Palestinian companies, workers told AFP.
With unemployment rates in the West Bank at around 18 percent, according to the World Bank, the revenue is vital for many families.
Working inside Israel was for a long time controversial for Palestinians, viewed as accepting Israeli occupation, but has become more normalised in recent years.
Employment in settlements in the West Bank, however, remains a taboo, with Palestinians typically wary of publicly admitting such employment.
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