Israeli Policy Towards Palestinian Workers is wrong and Full of Contradictions, as it severely harms their need to make a living, and on the other hand, it destroys the Israeli economy without providing realistic alternatives.
In light of the total lockdown on the entry of Palestinian workers since the beginning of the war, two major labor organizations in Israel adopted a negative stance towards the return of Palestinian workers to their work in Israel.
MAAN joined other groups in filing a petition to the High Court of Justice against the Israeli government, demanding that authorities be held accountable to prevent the extreme exploitation of migrant workers, which could reach conditions of actual slavery. The petition, filed July 18th warns of the destructive impact of massive and unregulated importation of workers on the overall Israeli labor market, the severe harm to Palestinian workers’ ability to earn a living, and the expected damage to the Palestinian economy and regional security. The petitioners accuse the government of making these fateful decisions in secrecy.
Wednesday, May 15, the Israeli government approved a structural reform on employment of migrant workers where it allowed a ceiling of 330,000 overseas workers in the Israeli job market. MAAN sees this decision as a step that defies all economic logic, contradicts labor market planning, and opens the way to a dangerous expansion of human trafficking for labor purposes in Israel. In addition, the decision reflects complete disregard for the consequences of the continued halt in employment of Palestinians.
From now on, Palestinian Authority residents who work in Israel or Israeli settlements will be able to access their personal area on the website of the National Insurance Institute (NII), submitting claims and documents as their Israeli counterparts can.
On the eve of Ramadan, Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem are facing an economic and social crisis exacerbated by a 7.6 per cent increase in unemployment since the outbreak of the war. Despite the crisis, the government is severely undermining its own five-year plan for East Jerusalem. MAAN Workers Association (hence MAAN) calls on the mayor and the incoming city council to secure budgets to reduce socio-economic gaps in the city.
An Introduction by Assaf Adiv, Executive Director of MAAN, to the Briefing at the EU premises with foreign delegations March 11th – in Tel Aviv
The two workers’ rights groups wrote on Feb. 13 to Mr. Moshe Nakash the head of the Immigration and Population Authority and demanded that special measures will be taken to alleviate the suffering of Palestinian workers and also to enable Israeli employers to overcome the crisis and keep their experienced workers.
It is impossible to delay the decision any longer. Palestinian workers must be returned to work in Israel now. Israel’s security forces are currently holding urgent discussions in an attempt to prevent escalation in the West Bank.
Journalist Hagar Sheizaf of Haaretz collaborated with MAAN to give a compelling presentation on the dire situation of Palestinian workers out of work for four months due to the war. Sheizaf quotes Assaf Adiv, MAAN’s Executive Director and also workers affiliated with MAAN who worked in Israel for dozens of years. These workers bare no responsibility for the October 7 terrorist attack, yet they pay the price. All of them demand to go back to their work places in Israel for the benefit of all.
