China demands workers sent to Israel not be placed in West Bank settlements

Source: Haaretz

Beijing’s condition is holding up the signing of a bilateral labor agreement with Israel.

Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon’s plan to bring Chinese construction workers to Israel to accelerate home building has hit a diplomatic snag as Beijing conditions signing a bilateral labor accord on its nationals not working in West Bank settlements.

China’s condition, which it says is due to safety concerns rather than politics, has snagged implementation of a year-old cabinet resolution authorizing an increase in the number of foreign construction workers initially to 8,000 and later to 15,000. The extra workers are part of a range of government efforts to build more homes and bring down prices, but without an accord with China, the 8,000 target hasn’t been reached.

The stalemate with China comes as Israel comes under pressure from Europe to distinguish between pre-1967 Israel and West Bank settlements. Last year it added clauses to a key scientific accord that barred European Union money from aiding West Bank institutions and it now moving forward with plans to require separate labelling for products made in the West Bank. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is determined to fight such moves.

Read more: http://www.haaretz.com/business/1.660016