"6,000 Chinese construction workers will come to Israel, but they will not work in disputed settlements," reported by multiple Israeli media outlets including The Jerusalem Post and Haaretz on the 24th. The reports said that considering the safety of the workers and China's political stance on the Palestinian-Israeli issue, Israel had to agree to China's request. At a Chinese Foreign Ministry press conference on the 24th, a reporter asked, "What is China's comment on the locations where Chinese workers will work? Is China considering using its economic partnership with Israel to exert influence to uphold the 'two-state solution'?" Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang replied that the relevant reports pointed out that Chinese workers will not work in Jewish settlements in the West Bank. China's position on the Palestinian-Israeli issue is consistent and clear. We oppose the construction of Jewish settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, and UN Security Council Resolution 2334 also has clear requirements on this. As a permanent member of the Security Council, China has always made active efforts to promote an early and peaceful resolution of the Middle East issue, especially the Palestinian-Israeli issue.

On the 23rd, Israel's Ministry of Housing and Construction and China's Ministry of Commerce signed a China-Israel labor agreement in Jerusalem. The main content is that Israel will bring in 6,000 Chinese construction workers and guarantee their safety and rights while working in Israel. Haaretz said that the agreement itself did not mention that Chinese construction workers "will not work in settlements," but a supplementary agreement listed the work locations for Chinese workers, none of which are beyond Israel's 1967 borders, and none are in Jewish settlement areas in the West Bank. The agreement was reached through a "compromise" in the supplementary agreement, saving Israel's face. The report said that Israel and China had discussed this agreement for several years, and it was once shelved in 2015. The Chinese government required, on security grounds, that Chinese workers' work locations avoid Jewish settlements, but Israel's Foreign Ministry believed that this request was politically motivated, based on the view that Israel's construction of Jewish settlements is illegal and an occupation of territory.

The Israeli Ministry of Housing and Construction's statement said that China will conduct professional tests for construction workers intending to work in Israel, and will randomly select from qualified workers; those who pass the medical examination will be eligible to work in Israel. The agreement said that Israel will guarantee the safety and interests of Chinese workers in Israel and will set up a labor hotline and other complaint channels for Chinese workers.

Israeli Minister of Housing and Construction Yoav Galant said at a press conference after the signing on the 23rd, "In the past few years, thousands of Chinese construction workers have performed excellently in Israeli tunnel, light rail and other construction projects. I believe they will accelerate Israel's housing construction projects, help curb rising housing prices, and help Israelis, especially young couples, ease housing pressure." He stressed: "This agreement also guarantees the social rights of Chinese construction workers in Israel." He also said that the day was Holocaust Remembrance Day, and this cooperation agreement is the best way to commemorate it, and is another achievement in bilateral relations and labor cooperation after Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's visit to China last month.

As the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has been brought under control, Israel's economy has developed, and immigration and population have grown rapidly. In the 55 years since the founding of the state, Israel's population has surged from more than 600,000 to 8.5 million, housing is scarce, and housing prices and rents continue to rise. There have been repeated nationwide demonstrations protesting the housing crisis. The government is also accelerating residential construction. In the past, it hired more Palestinian laborers, but now it prefers other foreign workers, and Chinese construction workers are especially favored.

According to data from the International Organization for Migration, there are about 35 million migrant workers globally, of which China sends 350,000 to 400,000 workers overseas each year, across more than 180 countries and regions. Israel is the largest labor-importing country in the Middle East, with about 300,000 foreign workers, including 130,000 in construction. Although Israel's unemployment rate is above 10%, most locals are unwilling to do construction work. Currently, there are more than 20,000 Chinese workers in Israel, but only about 9,000 are registered with the commercial office of the Chinese Embassy in Israel. Among them, 90% of Chinese workers are engaged in construction, and a small number in agriculture and domestic work. Most come from Fujian, Jiangsu and other provinces and cities. Local construction and renovation companies even use "hardworking and capable Chinese workers" as an advertising slogan to attract business.

Half of the Chinese workers in Israel are "illegal workers" working through informal channels. Israeli society is similar to Europe and the United States, with relatively high wage levels and prices. The government stipulates a monthly minimum wage of more than 800 US dollars; in practice, skilled construction jobs pay more than 4 US dollars per hour, which is very attractive to foreign workers. Some Chinese workers, through informal intermediary agencies, take on debts of 100,000 to 200,000 yuan to obtain visas and work permits to enter Israel. Most of these high intermediary fees are divided among intermediary agencies at various levels, contractors and middlemen. These Chinese workers in Israel have no relatives, do not speak the language, live a monotonous and closed life, work intensively, lack guarantees for safety and interests, and are also exploited and defrauded by intermediaries and underworld forces. In addition, when the Palestinian-Israeli conflict was intense in previous years, they were repeatedly affected by suicide bombings and terrorist attacks in volatile and risky areas, and even their lives were at risk. Over the past 10 years, at least 7 Chinese workers have died and more than 10 have been injured.

The Chinese Embassy in Israel announced on April 19 that recently, several Chinese citizens were caught by Jordanian police and repatriated to China for attempting to illegally cross the border from Jordan to Israel to work. The Chinese embassy reminds Chinese citizens planning to go to Israel to strictly abide by local laws, be highly vigilant against "snakehead" deception, and not participate in illegal border crossing or illegal employment, so as to avoid personal safety dangers and bring irreversible losses to themselves and their families.