(MAAN will publish soon a comprehensive transcript of the discussion held, as noted, on Wednesday, 21.1.)
Over the past two years, Israel has been carrying out a massive process of substituting Palestinian workers with migrant workers. At the start of the war, and as an emergency measure in the face of a major attack by Hamas and Hizbullah, the government ordered the closure of all crossings for Palestinian workers, except for essential workers and those employed in the settlements.
But it seems that a temporary measure, became a policy, despite the fact that it was never discussed or decided upon in a serious manner: several months into the closure, a major operation took place where tens of thousands of migrant workers from India, Seri Lanka, China and Thailand were replacing Palestinians and Israelis in many jobs. This ill-conceived policy, is being accelerated and has dealt a severe blow not only to 150,000 Palestinian workers, but also to the economies of both Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
MAAN – Workers Association – in cooperation with the Kiryat Shmona University (in establishment), the Israeli Sociological Society, and LEAP, held a comprehensive discussion on the issue (via Zoom), which took place on Wednesday, 21.1.
During the discussion, participants examined the dramatic implications of the government’s decision to halt the employment of Palestinians in Israel, alongside the parallel decision to expand—without control or oversight—the employment of migrant workers.
Among the prominent speakers at the Zoom conference were:
MAAN’s director Assaf Adiv * Prof. Kenneth Mann (LEAP) * Prof. Esteban Klor, a researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) * Munir Kleibo, former ILO representative in the Palestinian Authority territories (spoke in a personal capacity) * Dr. Maayan Neizna and Yahel Kurlander, co-authors of the study on the situation of migrant workers after October 7 * Mohammed Naeem and Ashraf Shalalfa, Palestinian workers who lost their livelihood as a result of the closure.
The message that emerged from all participants’ remarks was sharp and clear: in a situation where tens of thousands of Palestinian workers who have been left without any source of income are entering Israel without permits through breaches in the fence, there is no way to stop the phenomenon. The solution lies in regulating their entry through permits and reversing the mistaken decision to impose a total closure. Backed by figures the speakers showed, that the damage caused by imposing a total closure on the employment of Palestinians for more than two years is far greater than the risk that permitted Palestinian workers arriving at workplaces in Israel might pose.
The conclusion that emerges from the discussion: if and when data-based thinking on this issue takes place, with the participation of workers’ representatives, security professionals, economists, and migration experts, the outcome of such a discussion will inevitably be that there is no political, security, economic, or other rationale for the operation of replacing Palestinians with migrant workers. The return of Palestinian workers is an immediate and vital necessity, especially in light of the end of the war.
