Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Ben Eliezer authorized 5,000 Palestinian workers to enter Israel, and is considering loosening the blockade imposed on the Palestinian territories, a statement said Monday, August 20.
Ben Eliezer "has allowed the entry of 5,000 Palestinian workers for the olive picking season", the defense ministry statement said. Ben Eliezer is considering "more measures aimed at alleviating the pressure on the population" of the Gaza Strip and West Bank, which has been stifled by a tight Israeli blockade since the intifada broke out late last September, the statement said.
Among these measures are "the gradual entry into Israel of Palestinian workers, according to the needs of the Israeli market and the security criteria set by the authorities", it said. "This policy of alleviating the pressure on the Palestinian population will be carried out jointly with an all-out war against terrorism", the statement added.
Before the Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation erupted on September 28, more than 100,000 Palestinians worked in Israel, about half of them without permits. ― (AFP, Jerusalem)
© Agence France Presse 2001
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
