The war in Gaza, which broke out after the Hamas attack on October 7, has not only provoked fears for the country's security, but also an exodus to Israel, which the “Jewish state” itself strongly encourages: that of recruited migrant workers global south is coming to fill the gap of fields and construction sites. […]
CONTINUE READING
SUPPORT US
1 € FOR THE FIRST MONTH
Already a subscriber?
CONTINUE READING
The war a Gazawhich erupted after the Hamas attack on October 7, not only sparked security fears in the country; Exodus to Israel that the “Jewish state” itself strongly encourages: that of guest workers They are recruited from the global south and come to fill the gap in fields and construction sites. Sri Lanka, India, Malawi, Kenya. Since the beginning of the war Tel Aviv has reached import agreements with several countries low labor costs be used Agriculture, House help And Building. All areas that were already dominated by underpaid and socially marginalized foreign workers before October 7th: Thais And Filipinos in the first two sectors, West Bank Palestinians in the third.
“In the nineties, after that first intifadathe government made a strategic decision and began relying on migrant workers to carry out this type of work strenuous activities“, he tells Ilfattoquotidiano.it Matan Kaminer, anthropologist and researcher at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. “Israeli agriculture in particular is heavily dependent on Thai labor,” he continues, emphasizing that Israel has enjoyed a constant influx of labor over the years workers with five-year contracts and no possibility of extension “in order to keep the situation constant”. demographic majority of the Jewish ethnic population.”
However, after the Hamas attack, gods 30,000 Thais Thirty-nine militants were killed and 10,000 were killed in the camps on the Gaza border Returnees to escape the trauma of war, including the 17 hostages freed by the Palestinian armed group that kidnapped them. Of those who live in it West Bank Instead, Tel Aviv no longer trusts her. According to the United Nations International Labor Organization, this has been the case since the beginning of the conflict in Palestinian territory 208,000 jobs lost and checkpoints into Israel remain inaccessible.
In this context, on Tuesday, December 19, the first group of Sri Lankan citizens who will effectively replace the Palestinian labor force in Israel landed. The bilateral agreement hastily signed with Columbus Last month it planned to send 20,000 migrant workers to boost the construction sector. Like them, Malawi has sent 200 people in recent weeks, while 1,500 will arrive from Kenya. In India, however The unions protested against the decision of the Nordic stateHaryana To provide 10,000 workers for Tel Aviv. In this context, the Construction Workers' Association held a meeting on December 22nd demonstration Challenging the recruitment of Indian citizens was considered an “immoral” operation that supports a “genocidal government”.
The conditions under which this category of workers work are also worrying. “Migrant workers are a privilege. A country that encourages people to come here should take care of herbut that doesn’t always happen here,” he tells Ilfattoquotidiano.it Hesse LadizhinskayaSpokesperson for the Israeli Association for the Protection of Human Rights Kav LaOved, has been closely linked to foreign workers working in the country for over 30 years. “The contracts are there, but they are not being adhered to. The problem is systemic even in the best situations: Starvation wages, unpaid overtimeEpisodes of Gangmaster, unsuitable living conditions and a general lack of attention to the human element of these professions,” explains Ladizhinskaya, emphasizing with tragic irony that the Department of Knesset The committee that deals with the protection of migrant workers in the event of harassment is called the “Problematic Foreign Workers Committee”.
Even in the face of this problem, Israel remains one attractive travel destination for less wealthy migrant workers. “It is important that the newcomers are aware of their rights and prepared for the complex context that awaits them,” comments Ladizhinskaya, hoping that the Palestinians will not be completely replaced and vulnerable in this reshuffle.