Why some Gazans are telecommuting with Israeli firms
The widespread use of the internet has allowed some Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to find work online with Israeli companies, although Gazans are divided over the issue.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Young Palestinians in the Gaza Strip use the internet to work with Israeli institutions, despite the challenges posed by the permanently tense relationship between Gaza and Israel.
Following the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip in 2007, Israel imposed a military siege on Gaza; the Israeli army waged three major military operations on Gaza in 2008, 2012 and 2014.
Within the scope of measures taken by Israel to tighten the siege, it gradually stopped issuing work permits for Gazans. It should be noted that the outbreak of the 2000 Al-Aqsa intifada and the Hamas takeover seven years later marked decisive turning points that affected the Gazan workforce in Israel. The number of Gazan workers in Israel declined substantially after 2000 as a result of the stringent security measures imposed by the Israeli army on Palestinians wishing to work across the border.
Israel opened its doors to the Palestinian workforce in 1968; the number of Palestinians working in Israel was nearly 116,000 in 1993, and on the eve of Al-Aqsa intifada this number stood at 120,000 workers.
