The Palestinian Labor Ministry on Thursday condemned Israel’s unilateral decision to transfer all pension savings of Palestinian workers employed in Israel to an Israeli company named Amitim.
“These unilateral measures are an explicit and clear violation of Israel’s obligation to transfer these pension funds to the competent Palestinian institutions under the Paris Protocol, and a flagrant violation of it,” the Ministry affirmed in a statement.
The Paris Protocol is the economic supplement of the Oslo Accord between the government of Palestine and Israel in order to determine the nature of economic relationship between the two sides.
Meanwhile, the German news agency, dpa, said the Palestinian workers’ pension savings is an exclusive right.
It said Israel’s illegal measures aim to encourage workers to early withdraw their funds, which will cause them significant financial losses.
The news agency added that this measure also aims to harm workers and deprive them of their right to benefit from future retirement benefits.
According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), the number of workers in Israel and the settlements in the year 2022 reached about 193,000 workers, of whom 29,000 work in the Israeli settlements.
PCBS said the percentage of workers in Israel and the settlements who obtained work permits reached 58.6%, while the percentage of workers without work permits was about 20.7%, and for those who have a foreign passport, the percentage reached 20.7%.
