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Life in Gaza Improving as More Palestinians Work in Israel
(Ha'aretz) Amos Harel - Today, about 14,000 Palestinians from Gaza have permission to work in Israel. Barring any new military escalation with Hamas, that number is expected to grow to 20,000 or even 30,000. To date, no Gaza worker has taken part in attacks on Israelis. Should this occur, everyone knows that the program will be rolled back. The average pay for a worker in Gaza is $1.77 a day. In Israel, the lowest salary for a Palestinian is $89 a day, and many earn a lot more than that. A Gazan with a work permit can rise to the top of Gaza's middle class in a flash. Recently, the distress of day-to-day life in Gaza has eased with the electricity supply doubling to 12 hours a day. Israel has upgraded its ability to inspect goods crossing into Gaza using advanced technology, which has allowed larger quantities to enter. Many obstacles have been overcome that previously prevented critical projects, such as developing desalination facilities and upgrading the fishing and farming industries. The Egyptians are more closely searching goods entering through the Rafah crossing and investing more resources in deterring the smuggling tunnels running into Gaza from Sinai. The Israeli Navy's blocking of Palestinian efforts to smuggle anti-tank missiles into Gaza on fishing boats last month reflects Hamas' difficulties in using the tunnels.