JERUSALEM, July 13 (Xinhua) -- Israel increased 1,500 work permits for Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip, as part of the measures affecting Palestinians ahead of U.S. President Joe Biden's arrival in Israel.
The move announced on late Tuesday was described as one of "a series of measures for building confidence between Israel and the Palestinian Authority" by the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the unit under the Israeli Defense Ministry responsible for civil affairs in the Palestinian territories.
With work permits, the Gazans will be allowed to leave the enclave to work in Israel. After the added 1,500 work permits, the total number will reach 15,500, it said.
Besides, Israel would legalize the status of 5,500 undocumented Palestinians and foreigners living in the West Bank and Gaza, said the COGAT.
Israel would also open the Salem crossing in the northern West Bank to facilitate Arab Israelis to enter the Palestinian city of Jenin.
Other measures announced by the unit included approving six Palestinian housing projects in Area C of the West Bank.
According to the interim peace agreements signed in the 1990s, Area C under full Israeli control accounts for 60 percent of the territories of the West Bank, while Area A, administered by the Palestinian Authority (PA), comprises approximately 18 percent, and Area B, administered by both PA and Israel, occupies 22 percent. Figures from the UN and Israeli authorities show roughly 330,000 Palestinians and 450,000 Jewish settlers live in Area C.
For some Palestinians, working in Israel is beneficial to their livelihood. According to data released by the World Bank, their average wage inside Israel is around 75 U.S. dollars a day, twice the rate in the West Bank. In Gaza, where the unemployment rate hovers at 48 percent, tens of thousands lined up for work permits in Israel.
Biden arrived in Israel on Wednesday afternoon and is scheduled to travel to the West Bank on Friday to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas before flying to Saudi Arabia. ■
