GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Palestinian Mehdi al-Jabari wakes up at 3 a.m. every Sunday to stand in a long line at the Israeli Meitar checkpoint, which separates the West Bank province of Hebron from Israel. This is the only way he can make it to work in Israeli cities to earn a living.
Jabari has been working in construction in Herzliya, Israel, for 11 years with an Israeli work permit that can be renewed every 45 days. He told Al-Monitor by phone, “My commute consists of a three-hour wait at the Israeli checkpoint, where Israeli soldiers pat me and other workers down, or search us using sniffer dogs.”