Israel Lifts Ban on Entry by Palestinians but Imposes New Security Restrictions

Israeli authorities announced Saturday that they are lifting their ban today on entry by Palestinians from the occupied lands, but they said there will be new security restrictions.

More than 1.7 million Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip have been confined to the territories since Wednesday, following a wave of Arab-Jewish street violence that left five people dead and 11 injured.

The upsurge in the 34-month-old Palestinian uprising broke out after the Oct. 8 shootings on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, when Israeli police killed 20 Palestinian rioters and wounded 140 others.

“As of tomorrow, the Arab inhabitants of Judea, Samaria (the West Bank) and the Gaza district will be permitted to re-enter the state of Israel,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement Saturday.

But it said, “The right to enter Israel will be denied from those taking part in hostile activities.” It did not elaborate.

Defense Minister Moshe Arens said Arabs might be locked out of Israel again if violence persists.

The previous restrictions prevented up to 150,000 Palestinian laborers from going to their jobs in Israel, where they form much of the blue-collar work force. It was not immediately clear how many would be affected by the new restrictions.

Several thousand Palestinians have been banned from traveling to Israel because of past security or criminal offenses. They carry special orange identity cards.

Arens has also ordered the strengthening of supervision over those going to work in Israel and new measures to “prevent any illegal stay in Israel,” the ministry said.

Thousands of Palestinian laborers employed in Israel have no work permits. Most of Palestinian workers, even those who have the permits, are required to return home for the night unless they have another permit allowing them to stay.

But hundreds of them, notably in the Tel Aviv area, violate the regulations to spend the night near their workplaces, staying at rented apartments or in dormitories.