The IDF's Civil Administration plans to impose sanctions on Palestinian Authority Arabs who violate the terms of their work permits. Those who do not return to PA-controlled areas by the time specified on their permit could lose the right to work in pre-1967 Israel, warned government officials.
Workers will be tracked by a computerized system that will record the times at which they pass through manned crossings along the Judea and Samaria separation barrier. The workers will now be required to return home from work via one of the several crossings where the system is in effect.
The goal of the increased enforcement is to prevent PA workers from overstaying their permits, such as by living in Israel full-time when their permit allows them to enter Israel only during working hours. In addition, Israel hopes to crack down on illegal workers from PA areas. Both cases may pose a security threat, officials said.
Many terrorist attacks and planned terrorist attacks have involved PA Arabs working in Israel, and PA Arabs in Israel are also more likely than others to participate in criminal activity.
According to PA government figures, more than 70,000 PA Arabs work in Israel legally. Most are from Judea and Samaria.
In recent years, many PA Arab workers have been replaced by foreign workers who work in fields including construction, agriculture and private health care. Roughly 100,000 foreign citizens currently work legally in Israel, as do several thousand Sudanese refugees.
A government committee recommended several months ago that Israel work to reduce the number of foreign workers, and to have almost no foreign citizens working in Israel by the year 2014.