Coronavirus: nearly 50,000 Palestinian workers allowed to return to Israel

Text by: Alice Froussard

Despite fear of the spread of the coronavirus, on Saturday nearly 50,000 workers from the occupied West Bank were able to enter Israel. The checkpoints were tentatively open for the day, but Palestinians who have decided to cross it must now stay on the other side of the wall for three weeks without going home. Reportage.

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From our special correspondent at Qalandya checkpoint,

Some have been waiting since 4 am, others have just arrived. Masks on the face, their stuff piled up in big bags. All these Palestinian workers are getting impatient to cross the checkpoint and find their work in Israel.

Mohammad, 29, lives in Ramallah but works in Atarot, an industrial zone on the other side of the wall: "  It is the first time that I try to return to work, " he says. I ran out of money, so I have no choice, I'm going back. When I arrived this morning, I asked if I could pass, but we're still waiting. I called the manager, he is supposed to have given the names of the workers, but they are not there.  "

Every thirty minutes, three Israeli soldiers come out, announcing in Arabic the names of those who can pass. Jammal, a mechanic from Nablus, prefers to cross despite the sanitary situation. He has 4 children, has not been making money for more than two months.

"  I will stay there for the duration of Ramadan," he explains. We are not allowed to come back home to avoid spreading the virus, it is prohibited. I will have to wait for Eid. "

Until May 22, the man in his fifties will sleep in the garage where he works, then, like all workers, he will be tested before returning, specify the authorities.

But the prospect of return worries the Palestinians who remained there, especially at the end of Ramadan. When Eid comes, it is customary to visit the whole family.

► Read also: The deconfinement allows the return of Palestinian workers to Israel

The opening of the checkpoints was jointly decided by the Israelis and the Palestinian Authority as Israel begins its deconfinement . However, after the return of thousands of workers last month, the number of coronavirus cases in the West Bank had jumped.

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