Israel - Problems for Palestinian workers (2010)

The ILO reports that there are 60,000 Palestinians working legally and illegally in Israel; these workers face serious daily problems with crossing borders between the West Bank and Gaza Strip and are sometimes harassed and humiliated by border guards. In addition, some 20,000 Palestinians work in the West Bank for very low wages, and many are among the most marginalised people in Palestinian society, often widows or women with sick family members who fall through the gaps in the network of social solidarity that has enabled many Palestinians to survive the effects of the Israeli occupation. The situation of these workers is exacerbated by the fact that often Israeli authorities abandon the Palestinian workers to their employers by not inspecting their working conditions, especially in the West Bank settlements.