Israel is planning to use prisoners to help ease a labor shortage caused by the blockade around the Palestinian territories that has kept tens thousands of Palestinians away from their jobs in the Jewish state, industry leaders said Wednesday.
The Israeli Manufacturers' Association has signed an accord with the country's prison service allowing certain inmates to replace Palestinian workers, said Shlomo Menahem of the association's small and medium business organization.
"Under the terms of this accord we can employ about 1,200 prisoners to help fill the void left by Palestinian workers," he told public radio. "They will not resolve all our problems, but will ease the situation in certain sectors."
The Israeli army has closed off Israel to Palestinians living in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip because of the deadly clashes that have raged through the territories for almost a month.
The blockade affects more than 100,000 people who work legally or on the black market in Israel, mostly in the building industry, agriculture and the restaurant trade.
Their wages constitute a major source of income for the two territories.
Israel is also considering using students or soldiers to help ease the labor crisis -- JERUSALEM (AFP)
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