Israel and the United States will cooperate in the area of labor relations.
U.S. Labor Secretary Elizabeth Dole and Israel’s deputy minister of labor and social affairs, Rabbi Moshe Feldman, agreed here to set up a binational working group to prepare joint programs on labor-related subjects.
Both are attending the annual conference of the International Labor Organization, which closes on Wednesday.
The United States has expressed interest in Israel’s expertise in dealing with disadvantaged youths by enlisting them in a paramilitary framework.
The two countries will hold joint seminars on labor issues. The first, on the subject of safety and occupational health hazards, will be held in Israel in October. Dole has been invited to participate.
Feldman received assurances from the American labor secretary that the United States would continue to oppose the admission of the Palestine Liberation Organization to the ILO.
The United States will also seek to prevent the introduction of Middle East political issues into the U.N. agency’s business.
An Arab-inspired resolution condemning Israel for alleged mistreatment of Palestinian workers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip was placed third on the ILO conference agenda, following environmental issues and the international debt.
It is unlikely that the item will be discussed before the conference adjourns.
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