Following a petition submitted to the Israeli Supreme Court on 27 August 2009, the Israeli National Insurance Institute agreed to resume transferring the allowance of hundreds of Gazan disabled persons injured at work in Israel.
  Since the beginning of 2009, about 700 Gazan workers, who are entitled to the Israeli national insurance allowance, have not received their allowance as the Bank of Israel decided to stop dealing with all banks in the Gaza Strip.
  Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights, Adalah, Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, the Labor's Voice, other organizations and six victims submitted a petition to the Israeli Supreme Court against the Bank of Israel’s decision.
In its response to the Court, the Israeli National Insurance Institute said that a mechanism has been found with the agreement of both sides - the Israeli side and the Palestinians.
However, technical matters remain unresolved, but we foresee that they will be solved very soon.
  Al Mezan and Adalah had sent several letters to the Bank of Israel, the Israeli National Insurance Institute, the Israeli prime minister and various Israeli ministries demanding that they transfer the allowances.
But these bodies absolved themselves of their responsibilities.
Some Israeli bodies alleged that the Israeli National Insurance Institute was trying to find, in consultation with the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Defense and the Palestinian National Authority, an alternative mechanism to transfer the allowances.
After more than eight months of consultations the problem was not solved.
As a result, Al Mezan and the other organizations submitted a petition to the Israeli Supreme Court.
  The Israeli National Insurance Institute agreed to transfer the money.
However, the petitioners asked the Court to keep the petition pending until the allowances are transferred.
  According to information given to Al Mezan by Jihad Al Wazier, the Governor of the Palestinian Monetary Authority, an agreement for resuming the transfer of the allowances to the Gazan beneficiaries had been signed between the Israeli National Insurance Institute and the Palestinian Monetary Authority.
According to the agreement, the allowances will be transferred to bank accounts in the West Bank.
The Palestinian Monetary Authority will announce and clarify soon the mechanism of updating the data of the beneficiaries and the mechanism for receiving the money.
  Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights asserts that it will continue to follow up this case with its partners to ensure that the insurance beneficiaries receive their allowances.
Al Mezan calls on the international community to promptly intervene to lift the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip and to stop the Israeli grave violations of human rights; including those caused by the financial sanctions.
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