The Israeli cabinet decided to grant hiring preferences at government-controlled companies to evacuees from Gush Katif for the next year. State-owned companies must first turn to employment centers established to find the former Gaza residents jobs before they can recruit among the general public. Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor Ehud Olmert sponsored the motion. The Council of Jewish Communities in Judea, Samaria, and the Gaza Strip (Yesha) welcomed the decision, but felt it wasn't sufficient. Since the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, approximately 2,200 evacuees are currently looking for work, according to the settler council. The chair of the Hebrew University's labor law department called the new government policy “much more extreme” than any type of affirmative action previously enacted in Israel.