Thousands of Palestinian laborers went on a rampage at Gaza’s Erez Checkpoint Sunday, provoking an exchange of gunfire between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian police.
At least two Palestinians were killed and between 60 and 100 were reported injured in the melee that apparently resulted from the Gazans’ frustration over gaining access to jobs in Israel. Twenty-five Palestinian police officers reportedly were among the injured.
Twenty-one Israelis, mostly soldiers and border police, also were injured, according to Israel television.
It was the most serious clash between Israeli soldiers and Palestinians since Israel’s pullout from Gaza two months ago. It is also the first time Israeli troops and the Palestinian paramilitary police have fired on each other, although it appeared to be more in confusion than in anger and was quickly brought under control.
About 3,000 rioters overran Palestinian and Israeli posts, hurled stones at Israeli troops and torched a gas station and about 20 Israeli buses.
Palestinian and Israeli officials were quick to fault each other for what could have turned into a major blow to the peace process.
The Palestinians said long delays in processing workers through the Israeli checkpoint and Israel’s refusal to issue entry papers to many workers had pushed tensions to the breaking point. Israeli officials blamed Palestinian police for failing to control the Palestinian rioters.
Senior PLO and Israeli officers met within hours of the riots, and the rhetoric was surprisingly restrained. The autonomy agreement is vague on dealing with confrontations between Israeli troops and PLO police.
“Today’s battle was the battle for a loaf of bread. It was not premeditated by us or by the Israelis,” said Freh Abu Medein, the justice minister of the autonomy government.
About 25,000 to 30,000 Palestinians workers from Gaza cross into Israel each morning, where they work for low wages in Israeli factories and fields. Less than a decade ago, the number was much higher, more than 120,000 a day, but Israeli officials gradually trimmed the number as the Palestinian intifada triggered violence against Jews.
The result has been a 60 percent unemployment rate in Gaza and growing resentment toward the Israelis, whose military occupation of Gaza was despised but whose work permits are still coveted.
Sunday’s riot was not entirely unexpected. A smaller riot occurred the previous Sunday when workers without permits tried to cross into Israel.
According to Israeli accounts, the latest rampage began after a worker grabbed a Palestinian policeman’s gun and began firing in the air. Palestinian officials deny that a gun was taken.
The rioters quickly overran the Palestinian checkpoint and found themselves in a quarter mile stretch of no-man’s land between between Israeli and Palestinian positions.
When the Israeli troops and the Palestinian police started shooting at rioters, they were, in effect, shooting at each other, although each side insisted it was not targeting the other. Both sides called in reinforcements to quell the rioting.
Israeli authorities said Sunday that entry to Israel would be barred to all Palestinian workers until new security measures could be implemented.
“The right to pass through (to Israel) is a privilege that is available only to those Palestinians who have permits and will be granted only if the Palestinians learn to follow the rules and prevent riots of this type,” said Army Chief of Staff Ehud Barak.
Sunday’s riot touched off angry demonstrations in Gaza and sporadic clashes between Israeli troops and local residents in parts of the West Bank still under Israeli occupation.
