Globes, Guy Nardi, 05.05.2020
On April 27, the government made a decision to allow Israel to enter 48,000 Palestinian workers working in the building and agriculture, starting on May 3. Of these, 36,000 for the building, 3,000 for industry, and 9,300 for agriculture.
According to the Emergency Regulations, workers will enter Israel for a period of three weeks without leaving and re-entering, and therefore the requirement has been raised to ensure that they receive medical treatment in Israel if necessary. Yesterday evening, the government approved a significant legislative amendment requiring employers to insure Palestinian construction workers in private health insurance that includes providing medical care in the Israeli territories.
At regular intervals, Palestinian workers employed in Israel were insured with national insurance in Israel and set aside health insurance contributions ("health stamp"), which they passed through the State of Israel to the Palestinian Authority, to arrange health services for them and their families. The duty of private health insurance from yesterday is therefore an addition that is relevant to staying in Israel.
In addition to the medical insurance duty for every worker, it is stipulated that the employer must ensure appropriate accommodation conditions, which are in accordance with the Ministry of Health guidelines during the Corona period. The new regulations will be enforced by inspectors on behalf of the Ministry of Construction and Housing. The powers vested in the office inspectors are in addition to those of the inspectors of the Ministry of Labor and the Population Authority, who are authorized to supervise and enforce the obligations of a foreign worker's employer by law.
Director General of the Ministry of Construction and Housing, Elazar Bamberger: "The legislative amendment is a critical step in continuing the activity in the construction industry, while preserving workers' rights. The legislation enshrines the state's ability to enforce health and safety provisions on construction sites, in favor of maintaining public health in general and workers' health in particular. "
Netanel Lapidot, VP of Strategy and Policy at the Ministry of Construction and Housing: "In order to ensure continued regular activity in the construction industry, we were required to adapt the manner of employing Palestinian workers to the '' new normal ''. The entry process, which is accompanied by medical insurance, Helena conditions and social aspects, constitutes a significant step in this process that will ensure continued regular activity in the industry. "