Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will reportedly ask the cabinet to approve five thousand more work permits for Palestinian Authority Arabs to enter and work within Israel's pre-1967 boundaries at the weekly Sunday morning meeting.

The request comes against the recommendation of the security and defense establishment, which warned last week that Olmert's "good will gestures" have already stretched the government's ability to ensure the safety of Israel's citizens to its outer limits. 

The request also defies a move by the Finance Ministry to cut permits for foreign workers in favor of increasing jobs and wages for Israelis. This year some 15,000 Israelis have begun as construction workers, a trend it is feared will be jeopardized by Olmert's latest "gesture."