PA Boycott a Failure as More PA Arabs Work for Israelis - PA Arabs Risk Jail

The number of Palestinian Authority Arabs working for Israeli employers has risen, with 11 percent of PA workers now employed by Israelis, according to the PA Central Bureau of Statistics. In 2009, 10 percent of PA workers worked for Israelis.



The increase went hand-in-hand with a drop in PA unemployment, which fell from 25 percent to 24 percent.
The news follows a major PA campaign to boycott Israelis in Judea and Samaria; the campaign included a plan to force PA Arabs working for Jews in Judea and Samaria to quit their jobs.

Despite the campaign, Israelis in Judea and Samaria are among those responsible for the employment boost, and employ a total of over 10,000 PA workers.

While the PA economy improved slightly in 2010, the PA is still far from financially independent. PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has told international leaders that the PA faces a shortfall of one billion dollars for 2011. Fayyad recently announced plans for another  donor conference in April 2011.

He publicly blamed Israel for the PA's financial crisis, and failed to note that over 10 percent of PA workers are employed by Israel, due largely to deliberate efforts on Israel's part to boost the PA economy.

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An article from  4/5/2010A PA minister warned thousands of PA Arabs to stop working in Israeli settlements or face stiff fines and jail time.

A PA minister on Tuesday warned thousands of PA Arabs to stop working in Israeli settlements or face stiff fines and jail time.


"We call on all 'Palestinians' in the settlements to stop working," economy minister Hasan Abu Libdeh said at a news conference in Ramallah.


"The PA will enforce the law against 'Palestinians' who work in the settlements at the end of this year," he added.


Under a law approved last month, any PA Arab found working in a Jewish settlement faces a fine of about 14,000 dollars or five years behind bars, Abu Libdeh said.


An estimated 25,000 PA Arabs currently work in settlements, he said.


The new law also makes it illegal to trade in goods from settlements, with offenders also facing heavy punishment.


PA officials have staged a major campaign to eliminate such goods, with confiscated produce from settlements torched in public.


PA Arabs view the more than 120 settlements, populated by nearly a half million Israelis and scattered across Judea and Samaria and annexed east Jerusalem, as a major obstacle to the establishment of their future state.