Israeli permit regime in the Gaza Strip
The Israeli permit regime in the Gaza Strip is the legal regime that requires Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to obtain a number of separate permits from the military authorities of Israel, their legal occupiers.
Israeli work permits allow pass holders to work in Israel or its occupied territories[1] where wages are significantly higher than in Gaza, which has been under a blockade by Israel and Egypt since Hamas gained power in the region.[2] Israeli authorities, including the Ministry of Defense, view the scheme as a means of keeping peaceful relations;[3][4] critics view the scheme as a form of coercive control.[5] Israel also operates a similar permit regime in the West Bank.[2]
When Hamas seized power of the Gaza Strip in 2007, 120,000 Gazans who worked inside Israel had their passes revoked.[2] Following the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and subsequent armed conflict between Israel and Hamas, Gazans in Israel on work permits were unable to return to Gaza after they were revoked by Israeli authorities.[6][7] Some were detained by the Israel Defense Force (IDF) or other Israeli authorities in the West Bank[8] while others were deported to that territory.[9]
The Associated Press notes that this is used for leverage by Israel, who know that the violent actions of Hamas are going to be blamed for Gazans losing their work permits.[2]
References
- Akram, Fares; McNeil, Sam (26 August 2022). "Work permits are a lifeline for Gaza, and a lever for Israel". AP News. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- Berger, Miriam; Taha, Sufian (16 October 2023). "For Gazan workers stranded in Israel, being apart from family is agony". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 17 October 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- Fabian, Emanuel (22 September 2022). "Israel okays 1,500 more entry permits for Gaza workers, bringing total to 17,000". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- Nobani, Ayman (12 October 2023). "Israel detains, expels to West Bank hundreds of Gaza Palestinian workers". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- Pacchiani, Gianluca (23 October 2023). "Unable to return to Gaza, hundreds of laborers detained by IDF in the West Bank". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- Roth-Rowland, Natasha (25 August 2023). "Unprotected, Gaza laborers suffer under Israel's permit regime". +972 Magazine.
- Sella, Adam (26 May 2023). "How Israel's Work Permit Policy for Palestinians Helps Maintain the Occupation". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 26 May 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- Shamir, Jonathan (19 October 2023). "Gazan Workers Stuck in Purgatory After Israel Revokes Permits". Jewish Currents. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- Shotter, James (17 October 2022). "Israeli work permits offer slight relief to 'exhausted' Gaza economy". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 17 October 2022.