Fears over Rising Virus Cases in Palestinians Working in Israel
Arab World
Ramallah - Kifah Zboun
The Palestinian Authority (PA) has been placed in an indirect confrontation with Palestinians who work in Israeli-occupied territories after some of them contracted the coronavirus. Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said that the real weakness in the Palestinian battle against the spread of the coronavirus is the Israeli occupation, settlements, checkpoints, in addition to “all its policies that attempt to thwart our efforts to protect our people." Shtayyeh’s statement came after 15 new coronavirus cases were confirmed among Palestinians working in an Israeli factory. “The workers’ commute between their cities, villages, and workplaces, whether inside the green line or in the settlements, is a blow to our efforts to stop the spread of this pandemic,” he said. The PM warned that Israel's decision to allow the entry of workers is an attempt to protect the Israeli economy at the expense of the lives of Palestinian workers. “Israel's economy is not as precious as the lives of our children." Shtayyeh’s statement indicates that he intends to take tougher measures to prevent Palestinian employment at Israeli businesses. Recently, the PA began deploying security forces at the entrances to cities, villages, and towns through which workers cross into Israeli settlements, in order to discourage them from working there, or take them directly for medical examination on their way back. Despite all the measures, some workers were infected, transmitting the disease to residents of Ramallah, Bethlehem, and the villages of Jerusalem, raising the number of coronavirus cases. Next week, the PA faces the worst possible scenario with tens of thousands of workers returning to the Palestinian territories as Jewish Passover begins. "The Authority is aware of this scenario, and the security services are ready for it," according to Government spokesman Ibrahim Melhem. Palestinian workers in Israeli-occupied territories are estimated at more than 100,000, and some 25 in the settlements. The Authority has controlled the crossings at the entrances of cities and villages in Area A, and prevented entry or exit, but it faces a problem in the areas that are not under its control. Fatah officials said it is monitoring such areas and preventing workers from going to Israeli territories and settlements. The Authority estimates the monthly wages of Palestinians, who work with official permits in the settlements and the Green Line, to be $230 million, while the monthly salaries of the Authority’s employees is approximately $160 million. Economists fear that stopping workers from going to the Israeli-occupied territories will strain the economy in Palestinian areas, but the Authority prioritizes fighting the pandemic.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2212536/fears-over-rising-virus-cases-palestinians-working-israel
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