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ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN JOB FAIR
(As reported on Israel Radio - January 6, 1998)
A special job fair will be held today in the Erez industrial area to
recruit hundreds of construction workers from the Gaza Strip. The demand
for workers from Gaza is due both to the difficulty in finding Israelis to
work on construction jobs and the policy of the Ministry of Labor of
reducing the number of foreign workers in Israel.
For the first time in the history of relations between Israel and the
Palestinians, a job fair will be held, sponsored jointly by the Israeli
and Palestinian employment services. Some 800 skilled construction workers
from Gaza will be interviewed today and tomorrow, due to the urgent need
for manpower in the construction industry. Israelis are not eager to work
in construction, while the Ministry of Labor is implementing the
government's policy of reducing the number of foreign workers in Israel.
Director-General Moshe Dimri of the Israel Employment Service and his
Palestinian counterpart met in Erez three weeks ago, and decided to hold
the joint job fair. Representatives of 20 Israeli building companies will
come this morning to interview the Palestinian workers. Also involved in
this special effort are the office of the Coordinator of Activities in the
Territories and the Coordination and Liaison office, where the fair will
be held. The Israel Employment Service also believes that the fair will
help solve the problem of the illegal commerce in work permits. Today,
some 25,000 workers from the territories hold permits to work in Israel.
In the Gaza Strip alone, there is a potential for 5,000 skilled
construction workers. The workers accepted for jobs will have to meet
strict security criteria, and be at least 25 years old.
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