Daily newspaper “Yediot Ahronot” reports that, for the first time since the outbreak of riots in the territories, the Ministry of the Interior will issue work permits to illegal foreign workers who will replace Palestinian laborers. At the end of last week, Minister of the Interior Haim Ramon approved the replacement of 300 Palestinian agricultural workers with foreign laborers.
MK Shalom Simhon said that the move concerns Palestinian workers employed by Jewish farmers from Green Line communities who have not shown up to work for three weeks due to the closure of the territories. The secretary of the Growers Association presented Ramon with the request to have these workers replaced.
Minstry of the Interior sources said that the move does not signify a new policy, but stems from Ramon’s intention to approve the replacement of Palestinian workers who cannot cross over to Israel with legalized foreign workers, if the employers’ situation justifies such a measure.
Simhon said that 10,000 legal Palestinian workers, and a similar number of illegal ones working in Israel, are not coming to work. In the last few weeks there has been a sharp increase in the number of applicants, especially employers in the agricultural and construction sectors, requesting that the Ministry of the Interior allow them to replace Palestinian workers with foreign laborers. Government ministries are closed on the high holidays, so the Ministry of the Interior has not yet considered all the requests. Senior Ministry officials assess that the number applications will increase as the closure continues.
This week, the Population Administration will start debating reform measures to legalize 50% of foreign workers in Israel, in accordance with the recommendation of the Population Administration director.
Published by Israel's Business Arena on 22 October, 2000