Cabinet dispute delays decision on entry of Palestinian workers to Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu put off a vote on Monday on whether to readmit Palestinian day workers into Israel after ministers expressed opposition during a stormy three-hour debate.

During a Security Cabinet meeting, the heads of the Israel Defence Forces and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and the National Security Council argued in favour of the return of Palestinian day workers from Judea and Samaria. Frustrated workers unable to make a living create a "pressure cooker" situation in the region, they said, which could spark more terror attacks.

Netanyahu reportedly supported the readmission of Palestinian workers as well.

Acknowledging the concern that Palestinian workers could take advantage of their entry to carry out terror attacks within Israel, security officials proposed tightened restrictions, transferring workers in groups on buses directly to job sites and preventing them from roaming freely once in the country.

Israeli industry was hit doubly by the absence of Israeli workers, many of whom have been called up for military service, and by the loss of Palestinian labourers prevented from entering Israel. Israeli employers describe assembly lines shutting down while half-completed buildings stand silent.

Israeli agriculture is facing staggering losses in production and manpower. Before October 7, Israel had 29,900 foreigners, mostly Thais, working in farms, orchards, greenhouses and packing plants. Nearly all have returned to Thailand. Farmers also employed 10,000-20,000 Palestinians, depending on the season.

However, the head of the Israel Police expressed opposition to the workers' reentry, as did a number of key Likud figures, including Economy and Industry Minister Nir Barkat, Justice Minister Yariv Levin, Transport Minister Miri Regev and Energy Minister Israel Katz.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich of the Religious Zionism Party and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir of the Otzma Yehudit Party also opposed the workers' readmission. Those close to Ben-Gvir were quoted as saying, "Bringing in workers from Judea and Samaria is essentially no different from bringing in labourers from Gaza, the results of which blew up in our faces on the Black Sabbath," referring to the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre.

Some 50,000-60,000 Palestinian workers entered Israel daily before Oct 7, after which a closure was imposed for security reasons. Israel still permits the entry of 4,000-5,000 Palestinian workers for what are deemed essential needs. Opponents of Palestinian workers have expressed the need for a long-term solution, such as their replacement with foreign workers.

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and his incoming Ecuadorean counterpart, Gabriela Sommerfeld, discussed sending 25,000 labourers to Israel, mostly for agricultural work, on Monday.