PA is an enemy and should not be dealt with, says extremist Ben-Gvir

Israel’s extreme far-right national security minister said on Monday that he strongly opposes bringing Palestinian workers from the West Bank into the occupation state, given that the Palestinian Authority is an “enemy” and should not be dealt with. Itamar Ben-Gvir made his comment in a post on X, amid intense controversy within the Israeli political system about the issue.

“I strongly oppose the introduction of workers from the Palestinian Authority [area] to Israel; this is what is right for the security of the State of Israel, and this was unfortunately proven again today,” said Ben-Gvir. This was a reference to the car-ramming and stabbing incident in Israel on Monday, in which fourteen Israelis were injured. “We must not return to the old concept. The PA is an enemy, and you don’t do business with an enemy. Period.”

There was no immediate comment from the PA on Ben-Gvir’s statements as of 20:55 GMT on Monday.

About 150,000 Palestinians used to have work permits for jobs in Israel. They were stopped when the Israeli offensive against the Gaza Strip broke out in October, reported Yedioth Ahronoth.

The issue of allowing Palestinian workers to enter Israel is one of the controversial issues within the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at a time when the US administration is putting pressure on him to re-employ them, according to the same source.

On Sunday, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant was reported by Channel 12 as saying, “We must prevent tensions in Judea and Samaria [the Zionist name for the occupied West Bank] in any way possible, including resolving the issue of Palestinian workers and the financial resources of the Palestinian Authority.”

Gallant believes that the unrest in the West Bank “could harm Israel’s goals in Gaza,” stressing that the presence of a strong Palestinian Authority “is in Israel’s interest.”

On Monday, Channel 12 said that the Israeli army and the Shin Bet [General Security Service] asked the government to implement a pilot project to allow Palestinian workers into Israel. It explained that the initial plan includes allowing in 5,000 workers daily, but said that a number of ministers in the right-wing coalition led by Netanyahu strongly reject the move.

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