RAMALLAH, March 28, 2018 (WAFA) - Palestinian Labor Minister Mamoun Abu Shahla met on Tuesday with his Israeli counterpart Haim Katz in a meeting arranged by Germany and intended to discuss the financial rights of Palestinian workers inside Israel, Deputy Labor Minister Samer Salameh said on Wednesday.

He told Voice of Palestine radio that the Palestinians have asked Germany for assistance in this issue, and after contacting the Israeli side, Germany said it was ready to arrange a meeting between them.

He said a study was prepared in cooperation with international and Israeli groups to collect data and documents on financial rights of Palestinian workers in Israel, which exceeds $10 billion dollars held by Israel although this money is a right for the Palestinian workers.

"The Israeli minister did not expect that the Palestinians were prepared in this way and he was surprised by all the  documents  we presented to support our position, so he felt embarrassed and asked for additional  time to study and verify the information," said Salameh.

He said the Ministry of Labor will continue to work with competent Israeli and international groups to follow up on the rights of the Palestinian workers, warning that in case these efforts  fail to help the workers get back their financial dues from Israel, the ministry will resort to international tribunals to get them.

C.K./M.K.