Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh called on Palestinian workers and contractors not to do any work at the illegal settlements Israel is building in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The premier’s call on workers and contractors to boycott the settlements came in light of the recent widely-condemned Israeli announcement to build thousands of new housing units in illegal settlements in Jerusalem and Atarot Airport.
He denounced the formation of a US-Israeli committee to map out the border of Palestinian cantons in a way that reduces the West Bank area by 40 percent.
The premier reiterated rejection of constructing a railway from Ben Gurion Airport to the Western Wall that would pass through the Old City by a 1.8 miles tunnel.
His call on Palestinians to stop working at settlements is the first in a long time, but it is expected to fall on deaf ears. In 2010, the Palestinian Authority launched an intensive campaign to halt dealing with Israeli settlements but it didn’t succeed.
The total of Palestinians workers in settlements is estimated between 25,000 and 30,000. Daily wages in Israel and settlements are usually higher than what the Palestinian worker would get for the same work in the Palestinian areas.
There is an approximate 130,000 workers who work in construction, industry, and agriculture.
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