TENSIONS MOUNT AS PALESTINIAN LABOURERS PREPARE TO RETURN TO JUDEA AND SAMARIA

The Berkleys live on a quiet street in Karnei Shomron, Samaria where almost every second house is undergoing necessary renovations. The homes, built in the 1980s when the town was first established, need weatherproofing, plumbing and basic upgrading.

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Before the current Hamas war, Palestinian Arabs flooded the neighbourhood each morning--building, pouring concrete, laying stone and tiles. Now most of the houses stand half-finished, waiting for somebody to finish the job.

The Berkleys were not happy to hear the announcement that 8,000 Palestinian workers from Samaria and Judea would be allowed back to work in Jewish communities.

“It’s not that we don’t welcome our neighbours finishing their homes,” explained Gordon Berkley. “After what happened on Oct. 7 down south, we just don’t want Palestinian workers back in our neighbourhood.”