Ramallah: Israel is considering a request by the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) to allow all Palestinians living in Libya to return to the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The Israeli Public Radio confirmed that the request has been submitted to Israel, which is reviewing i.
The PNA has not specified the exact number of Palestinians in Libya.
The Israeli Public Radio quoted Hussain Al Shaikh, who heads the Palestinian General Authority for Civil Affairs, as saying that the Palestinian Government in Ramallah is currently preparing a plan to accommodate Palestinians from Libya.
Around 20,000 Palestinians live in Libya and the PNA expects Israeli approval for their return to the West Bank and Gaza Strip on humanitarian grounds.
A senior PNA official told Gulf News that hope of approval from Israel is very low.
He stressed that the PNA will find it difficult to accommodate the huge numbers of Palestinians returning home with no places to live and no work.
The official said that that the vast majority of Palestinians in Libya do not have the Israeli identity cards that allow them to cross Allenby Bridge to enter the West Bank. This was why the PNA had requested Israel to allow these Palestinians into the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
