Lives of West Bank Palestinians to be eased

Even as the army was dealing with several security incidents in the West Bank over the weekend, the security establishment is preparing to significantly ease the conditions of life of West Bank Palestinians, Ynet reports.

Some of the measures have not been taken for more than 20 years, and they will be taken in an effort to preserve the relative calm of the last few months.

Among the measures is a permit for Palestinian doctors to enter Israeli territory with their cars. Effectively, the permit allows drivers who own a car with a white Palestinian license plate to travel freely anywhere in Israel. The security establishment is considering giving a similar permit to other professionals in Palestinian society but at present not to the entire population.

Owners of quarries in the West Bank were allowed, for the first time in years, to use dynamite for controlled explosions in their quarries. This can save the quarry owner months of digging work. The explosions will be conducted by Israeli contractors only.

Additionally, large Palestinian factories in the West Bank received permission to use dual-use fertilizers, which can also potentially be used in making explosive devices. Effectively this would allow the factories to increase their workload and hire more employees.

All Palestinians older than 55 (men) and 50 (women) will be allowed to enter Israel freely. This would allow more Palestinians to work in Israel and conduct trade in it. The age in which Palestinians are allowed to enter Israel for a limited time to look for work was lowered from 24 to 22.