Weekly Commentary: Work Permits For All Palestinians In Judea and Samaria A
Win-Win
Dr. Aaron Lerner 11 January 2019

A policy change according to which all Palestinian adults in Judea and
Samaria can receive work permits (with the exceptions of those subject to
restrictions imposed by the security authorities) would benefit everyone.

Just a few highlights:

1. Today a huge number of Palestinians who don't have work permits bypass
the official crossing points each day to work off the books in Israel. Make
them legal and a big chunk of the untaxed economy gets on the books.

2. The current daily flood of illegal workers can provide easy cover for
terrorists. Issue everyone work permits and the few Palestinians who still
try to bypass the passages can be readily handled by security forces.

3. Substituting Palestinian workers for foreign workers would not only
reduce labor costs but also help in the balance of payments as a lot of the
shekels paid to Palestinian workers would end up being spent on Israeli
goods and services.

4. The dramatic increase in the number of well paid Palestinian breadwinners
would also serve to boost the economy in Judea and Samaria.

I have no illusions. Improving the economic lot of our neighbors won't
necessarily change their aspirations. We've had terrorist attacks by
Palestinians who have worked for years in good paying Israeli jobs. But, on
the other hand, there is a benefit to having a generation of Palestinians
brainwashed to hate Jews by the PA school system actually interact with
Israeli civilians.

Much of the Israeli Left remains stuck in the pursuit of a "we are here and
they are there" world so work permits aren't on the agenda.

But the truth is that whatever "deal" one has in mind, unlimited Palestinian
employment inside Israel is a winner.

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