Palestinian labor forces contributes to 25% of Israel's national income

A study prepared by Palestinian researcher Laila Farsakh said that the average contribution of Palestinian labor's participation inside Israel to the GNP of the Palestinian territories between 1967 and 1999 reached 25%. The study indicated a great reduction on the number of Palestinians who work in Israel following the establishment of the Palestinian government.

The study said there are less than 60,000 Palestinian workers now in Israel, against 120,000 in 1993. The study linked between the great reduction in the number of Palestinian workers and Israel's enrollment of more than 80,000 foreign workers, especially from the countries of Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia.

Farsakh has indicated two factors behind the Palestinian workers working inside Israel: One lies in the increasing unemployment rates inside the Palestinian territories and the second, lies in the higher wages in Israel where the Palestinian worker takes 20% more than in the Palestinian territories for the same job, SANA reported.