JERUSALEM: Israel’s central bank on Wednesday called on the government to ease rules on Palestinian workers who often purchase work permits in the country illegally to bypass restrictions tying them to a single employer.
About 20,000 Palestinian workers, or 30 percent of the Palestinian workforce in Israel, pay a monthly fee to obtain a permit with one employer and then work illegally for another, research from the Bank of Israel showed.
With unemployment in the West Bank and Gaza over 30 percent, tens of thousands of Palestinians, most of them from the occupied West Bank, legally work in Israel in jobs providing higher pay than those in the Palestinian territories.
Three quarters of Palestinians who purchased work permits worked in construction, bank research showed.
It estimated annual revenue from the permit trade to be around 480 million shekels ($137 million), with about 120 million shekels in profits to permit traders.
The report said the 2,000 shekel monthly fee cancels out any worker income gains. Palestinians who purchased permits made 10,100 shekels on average per month compared to 7,800 shekels for those who obtained them legally.
The Bank of Israel urged the government to implement reforms to the work permit system that were approved in 2016 to allow Palestinian workers to work for different employers.
“(Cancelling) the obligation for a Palestinian worker to work only for a pre-defined employer is expected to enhance the efficiency of the allocation of Palestinian workers, increase their output and income, (and) significantly reduce the illegal trade in work permits,” the bank said. ($1 = 3.5005 shekels)
Israel’s central bank urges government to ease rules on Palestinian workers
Israel’s central bank urges government to ease rules on Palestinian workers
- Tens of thousands of Palestinians, most of them from the occupied West Bank, legally work in Israel in jobs providing higher pay than those in the Palestinian territories
First EU–Saudi roundtable on critical raw materials reflects shared policy commitment
RIYADH: The EU–Saudi Arabia Business and Investment Dialogue on Advancing Critical Raw Materials Value Chains, held in Riyadh as part of the Future Minerals Forum, brought together senior policymakers, industry leaders, and investors to advance strategic cooperation across critical raw materials value chains.
Organized under a Team Europe approach by the EU–GCC Cooperation on Green Transition Project, in coordination with the EU Delegation to Saudi Arabia, the European Chamber of Commerce in the Kingdom and in close cooperation with FMF, the dialogue provided a high-level platform to explore European actions under the EU Critical Raw Materials Act and ResourceEU alongside the Kingdom’s aspirations for minerals, industrial, and investment priorities.
This is in line with Saudi Vision 2030 and broader regional ambitions across the GCC, MENA, and Africa.
ResourceEU is the EU’s new strategic action plan, launched in late 2025, to secure a reliable supply of critical raw materials like lithium, rare earths, and cobalt, reducing dependency on single suppliers, such as China, by boosting domestic extraction, processing, recycling, stockpiling, and strategic partnerships with resource-rich nations.
The first ever EU–Saudi roundtable on critical raw materials was opened by the bloc’s Ambassador to the Kingdom, Christophe Farnaud, together with Saudi Deputy Minister for Mining Development Turki Al-Babtain, turning policy alignment into concrete cooperation.
Farnaud underlined the central role of international cooperation in the implementation of the EU’s critical raw materials policy framework.
“As the European Union advances the implementation of its Critical Raw Materials policy, international cooperation is indispensable to building secure, diversified, and sustainable value chains. Saudi Arabia is a key partner in this effort. This dialogue reflects our shared commitment to translate policy alignment into concrete business and investment cooperation that supports the green and digital transitions,” said the ambassador.
Discussions focused on strengthening resilient, diversified, and responsible CRM supply chains that are essential to the green and digital transitions.
Participants explored concrete opportunities for EU–Saudi cooperation across the full value chain, including exploration, mining, and processing and refining, as well as recycling, downstream manufacturing, and the mobilization of private investment and sustainable finance, underpinned by high environmental, social, and governance standards.
From the Saudi side, the dialogue was framed as a key contribution to the Kingdom’s industrial transformation and long-term economic diversification agenda under Vision 2030, with a strong focus on responsible resource development and global market integration.
“Developing globally competitive mineral hubs and sustainable value chains is a central pillar of Saudi Vision 2030 and the Kingdom’s industrial transformation. Our engagement with the European Union through this dialogue to strengthen upstream and downstream integration, attract high-quality investment, and advance responsible mining and processing. Enhanced cooperation with the EU, capitalizing on the demand dynamics of the EU Critical Raw Materials Act, will be key to delivering long-term value for both sides,” said Al-Babtain.
Valere Moutarlier, deputy director-general for European industry decarbonization, and directorate-general for the internal market, industry, entrepreneurship and SMEs at European Commission, said the EU Critical Raw Materials Act and ResourceEU provided a clear framework to strengthen Europe’s resilience while deepening its cooperation with international partners.
“Cooperation with Saudi Arabia is essential to advancing secure, sustainable, and diversified critical raw materials value chains. Dialogues such as this play a key role in translating policy ambitions into concrete industrial and investment cooperation,” she added.
