TEL AVIV – Israel plans to terminate employment opportunities for Palestinians
by 2008.
Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Moshe Ya'alon said Israel no longer maintains a
policy of encouraging Palestinian employment. Ya'alon said the government
has been phasing out the number of jobs available to Palestinians from the
West Bank and Gaza Strip in Israel.
By 2008, Israel would institute a complete ban on the employment of Palestinians, Middle East Newsline reported. The government can ban Palestinians from entering Israel and requires entry and work permits.
"The goal is to stop Palestinians from working in Israel by 2008,"
Ya'alon told the Low-Intensity Conflict warfare counter-terrorism [LIC-2005] conference on Tuesday.
Ya'alon said Israel has been encouraging Western and other donor nations
to help the Palestinian Authority create jobs in an effort to end its
dependence on the Jewish state. He said the new policy no longer regards a
peace agreement with the PA as resulting in security.
"In September 2000, 150,000 Palestinians worked in Israel," Ya'alon said.
"This is no longer the case."
In a review of Israel's counter-insurgency policy, Ya'alon said the PA
has failed to crack down on Palestinian insurgency groups. He called on the
international community to hold the Palestinian leadership responsible for
attacks against Israel – even if those strikes are financed by foreign
countries.
"The issue of responsibility and accountability should be emphasized,
without allowing them to escape with excuses," Ya'alon said.
Ya'alon said the PA has demonstrated its security capabilities. He said
PA police and security forces deployed 18 battalions in the Gaza Strip
within a few days. The PA has not matched this achievement in the West Bank.
"We have allowed them to deploy in the West Bank," Ya'alon said. "But so
far they do this too slowly and not effectively."
Israel has approved a proposal to hand over security of the West Bank
towns of Jenin and Tulkarm over the next week, officials said. They said the
PA forces would assume security responsibility as Palestinian officials
reiterated that insurgency groups have pledged to honor a ceasefire declared
in February.
Ya'alon called for the investment of additional resources in technology
to prevent suicide bombing attacks. Ya'alon said Israel does not have either
a technical or operational solution to the suicide bomber.
"To deal with this, you don't have to deal with technology," Ya'alon
said. "This is not an ultimate response. What we are talking about is a
combined response that seeks to arrest him [suicide bomber] in bed rather
than at the mall."
