Following recent calls by municipalities not to employ Palestinian from the occupied territories and Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel workers, Kav-LaOved, Center for Workers Rights addressed Interior and Economy Ministers as well as the Chairman Union of Local Authorities, calling for their immediate intervention to clarify the legal obligations of local municipalities to act in accordance with the law.

Thousands of Palestinian workers cross in the early morning hours every day through checkpoints to reach their workplaces in Israel (Photo: Activestills)

According to Kav LaOved, “The violation Arab labor rights, especially the discrimination against them, is not constitutional and is intolerable. Such calls by local authorities and municipalities are problematic on many levels: they are contrary to the equal of opportunity in the workplace law, which prohibits discrimination; they encourage the violation of work contracts contrary to the law; they condone employers acting in a malefice manner which violates contract law; and they violate the obligations of employers and local municipalities as purchasers of services. “

As a result, more than simply being a form of collective punishment, this type of conduct is improper and illegal. “We have asserted that any attempt to deal with terror attacks by means of employment violence against a targeted population is wrongful and signals to the public that expelling Arab employees from their workplace and living space is a legitimate solution.”

Related: https://maki.org.il/en/?p=27306