Israel eyeing all-Israeli workforce

JERUSALEM, Aug. 28 (UPI) -- The construction workforce in Israel may soon be made up entirely of Israeli citizens if several proposed reforms are approved, an official said.

The unidentified Ministry of Finance official said Israel was considering proposals that would increase the number of its citizens in the workforce, essentially limiting the number of Palestinian workers employed in the country, the U.N. Integrated Regional Information Networks said Thursday.

"We are supporting a plan where the idea is to increase the number of Israelis in the workforce," the official said.

"We want to create a situation where there is no interest in hiring Palestinian workers instead of Israeli ones," he added.

Nearly 15,000 Palestinian citizens are currently employed in Israel's construction sector and if they are to lose their positions, that income loss will likely impact the economy of the occupied Palestinian territory.

IRIN said the proposed 2009 budget reforms will go before parliament in several months after receiving initial government approval.