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Israeli Government Skips Vote on Allowing Return of Palestinian Workers From West Bank
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a press conference with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz in the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv, Israel, Oct. 28, 2023. Photo: ABIR SULTAN POOL/Pool via REUTERS
Israel’s security cabinet on Sunday discussed but ultimately shelved a vote on whether to allow Palestinian workers from the West Bank to enter the country for the first time since Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre, leaving the decision in limbo until differences over the matter are resolved.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — as well as representatives from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Shin Bet security service, and Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), a unit within Israel’s Defense Ministry that implements civilian policy in the West Bank — reportedly supported letting in a certain number of workers. However, the measure was opposed by the Israel Police and several members of the governing coalition.
Amid such disagreement, Netanyahu did not bring the matter to a vote, fearing it would be voted down without a clear majority of support.
Earlier on Sunday, the socioeconomic cabinet, a 15-member body led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and consisting of ministers from the governing coalition, voted against the move to allow the entry of Palestinian workers. Smotrich said the socioeconomic cabinet recommended that the security cabinet not allow the West Bank Palestinians to reenter Israel.
“Money and building permits do not buy peace,” said Smotrich. “Anyone who killed us when there was no money will kill us also when there is money. The security of the citizens of Israel comes first.”
Palestinian laborers have not been allowed in Israel since Palestinian terrorists led by Hamas invaded the Jewish state on Oct. 7 and massacred 1,200 people, mostly civilians. The terrorists also abducted 240 people as hostages back to Hamas-ruled Gaza.
Israeli Economy Minister Nir Barkat, who has announced his intention to run in party elections to unseat Netanyahu, also spoke out against the prime minister to Hebrew media.
“You live in Oct. 6; you refuse to accept that the world order has changed,” he said. “The days when Israel depended on the working hands of Palestinian laborers are over. We must create alternatives. You want to bring the enemy into Israel? Are you crazy? You didn’t learn anything from Oct. 7.”
Prior to the Hamas atrocities and ensuing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, industries such as construction and agriculture were heavily dependent on Palestinian labor. According to government statistics, more than 100,000 Palestinians were in possession of work permits that allowed them to enter sovereign Israel daily to do their work. About 150,000 Palestinians from the West Bank and an additional 17,000 from Gaza had permits to enter Israel legally for work.
However, after Hamas’ murderous onslaught across southern Israel, the government shut down entry of workers from Gaza and the West Bank. The move, initially unchallenged in the public sphere, took away the laborers’ main income source. This reality prompted the security establishment to recommend allowing some workers in, both for economic reasons and out of fear of that if they stayed out of work for too long, they would resort to violence, according to Hebrew-language media.
As a result, the government decided to allow in 8,000 Palestinians to positions they deemed essential, such as in hotels where Israelis displaced by the war were staying that were short staffed.
According to the proposal being debated on Sunday evening, the government was discussing reissuing visas to Palestinians over the age of 35, with the justification that those above 35 are less likely to perpetrate terror attacks. This idea was opposed by Gideon Saar, a member of War Cabinet Benny Gantz’s party, who according to leaks from the meeting said the security establishment “forgot to mention how many attacks [on Oct. 7] were committed by married men over the age of 35.”
One of the proposals reportedly said the Israeli officials would look into an increase of foreign workers to help address the shortage of laborers. Since the outbreak of the war, many foreign workers have returned to their countries of origin, while domestically Israelis have been largely focused on the war effort.
The post Israeli Government Skips Vote on Allowing Return of Palestinian Workers From West Bank first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Rubio Heads to Israel Amid Tensions Among US Middle East Allies
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to members of the media, before departing for Israel at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, US, September 13, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Nathan Howard/Pool
US President Donald Trump’s top diplomat, Marco Rubio headed to Israel on Saturday, amid tensions with fellow US allies in the Middle East over Israel’s strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar and expansion of settlements in the West Bank.
Speaking to reporters before departure, Rubio reiterated that the US and President Donald Trump were not happy about the strikes.
Rubio said the US relationship with Israel would not be affected, but that he would discuss with the Israelis how the strike would affect Trump’s desire to secure the return of all the hostages held by Hamas, get rid of the terrorists and end the Gaza war.
“What’s happened, has happened,” he said. “We’re gonna meet with them. We’re gonna talk about what the future holds,” he said.
“There are still 48 hostages that deserve to be released immediately, all at once. And there is still the hard work ahead once this ends, of rebuilding Gaza in a way that provides people the quality of life that they all want.”
Rubio said it had yet to be determined who would do that, who would pay for it and who would be in charge of the process.
After Israel, Rubio is due to join Trump’s planned visit to Britain next week.
Hamas still holds 48 hostages, and Qatar has been one of the mediators, along with the US, trying to secure a ceasefire deal that would include the captives’ release.
On Tuesday, Israel attempted to kill the political leaders of Hamas with an airstrike on Doha. US officials described it as a unilateral escalation that did not serve American or Israeli interests.
The strike on the territory of a close US ally sparked broad condemnation from other Arab states and derailed ceasefire and hostage talks brokered by Qatar.
On Friday, Rubio met with Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani at the White House, underscoring competing interests in the region that Rubio will seek to balance on his trip. Later that day, US President Donald Trump held dinner with the prime minister in New York.
Rubio’s trip comes ahead of high-level meetings at the United Nations in New York later this month. Countries including France and Britain are expected to recognize Palestinian statehood, a move opposed by Israel.
Washington says such recognition would bolster Hamas and Rubio has suggested the move could spur the annexation of the West Bank sought by hardline members of the Israeli government.
ON Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed an agreement to push ahead with a settlement expansion plan that would cut across West Bank land that the Palestinians seek for a state. Last week, the United Arab Emirates warned that this would cross a red line and undermine the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords that normalized UAE-Israel relations in 2020.
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Netanyahu Posts Message Appearing to Confirm Hamas Leaders Survived Doha Strike
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a Plenum session of the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament, in Jerusalem, June 11, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
i24 News – In a statement posted to social media on Saturday evening, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the Qatar-based leadership of Hamas, reiterating that the jihadist group had to regard for the lives of Gazans and represented an obstacle to ending the war and releasing the Israelis it held hostage.
The wording of Netanyahu’s message appeared to confirm that the strike targeting the Hamas leaders in Doha was not crowned with success.
“The Hamas terrorists chiefs living in Qatar don’t care about the people in Gaza,” wrote Netanyahu. “They blocked all ceasefire attempts in order to endlessly drag out the war.” He added that “Getting rid of them would rid the main obstacle to releasing all our hostages and ending the war.”
Israel is yet to officially comment on the result of the strike, which has incurred widespread international criticism.
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Trump Hosts Qatari Prime Minister After Israeli Attack in Doha
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani attends an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, following an Israeli attack on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, at UN headquarters in New York City, US, Sept. 11, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
US President Donald Trump held dinner with the Qatari prime minister in New York on Friday, days after US ally Israel attacked Hamas leaders in Doha.
Israel attempted to kill the political leaders of Hamas with an attack in Qatar on Tuesday, a strike that risked derailing US-backed efforts to broker a truce in Gaza and end the nearly two-year-old conflict. The attack was widely condemned in the Middle East and beyond as an act that could escalate tensions in a region already on edge.
Trump expressed annoyance about the strike in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and sought to assure the Qataris that such attacks would not happen again.
Trump and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani were joined by a top Trump adviser, US special envoy Steve Witkoff.
“Great dinner with POTUS. Just ended,” Qatar’s deputy chief of mission, Hamah Al-Muftah, said on X.
The White House confirmed the dinner had taken place but offered no details.
The session followed an hour-long meeting that al-Thani had at the White House on Friday with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
A source briefed on the meeting said they discussed Qatar’s future as a mediator in the region and defense cooperation in the wake of the Israeli strikes against Hamas in Doha.
Trump said he was unhappy with Israel’s strike, which he described as a unilateral action that did not advance US or Israeli interests.
Washington counts Qatar as a strong Gulf ally. Qatar has been a main mediator in long-running negotiations for a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza, for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza and for a post-conflict plan for the territory.
Al-Thani blamed Israel on Tuesday for trying to sabotage chances for peace but said Qatar would not be deterred from its role as mediator.