Q&A PA Arab Labor עבודה הערבית של הרשות הפלסטינית
- Ariel Avidar
- Apr 14
- 4 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
Right, Arab labor. So if someone asks me to manage their stock portfolio, give them a due diligence assessment of their risk, their level of risk, or just take over as a coach on their kid's football team, I have to take all those things as is, meaning how they are today. So if you want to start a new system of labor in Israel and start from scratch, then yes, we could say Jewish only labor or no PA labor because that area is a source of a security threat and in theory we may all agree, but we don't live in theory.
We live in reality and the reality is this, the United States has balked at the idea of Israel bringing in significant amounts of foreign labor that would replace PA labor. They did it under the guise of potential worker exploitation, fine, but we know very well that the reason is that the United States will be against any measures that Israel will take to give the PA Arabs an incentive to leave and for that reason, the amount of workers coming in from foreign countries, in this case it's been India, Sri Lanka, it's been just a trickle, a small amount.
Unfortunately, we know that the Israeli government, this Israeli government, and I would argue the entire generation of Israeli leaders, they are all unable to withstand US pressure, meaning that Israel is unlikely to import, to bring in large numbers of foreign workers because they're afraid of the repercussions from the United States.
So understanding this, when someone tells us no PA labor, Jewish only labor, we only want foreign workers from India, we could agree and say, sure, great idea, but that conversation is really now theoretical. It's based on a set of factors that do not exist and based on any analysis, they won't exist in the near future. And we have to meanwhile live in reality.
And unless you're living in some Yishuvim in the Shomron, where Jews are proud to be laborers for ideological reasons and religious reasons, the reality is that building sites remain vacant, that loans are unpaid, that deadlines are not met. People lack homes and schools and facilities. So is PA Arab labor a threat? Yes.
Can it be mitigated? Can we diminish that threat with security checks, escorts, limited access? Obviously there's greater awareness post October 7th. Yes. Can the threat be removed? No, no, we're at war and we've been at war for decades. And it's a real problem when only one side knows they're at war.
But for the sake of going through the arguments, would imported labor cost more? You have to transport them and house them and train them. Yes, it would cost more. Can that be overcome by government subsidies and would Israelis be willing to pay more? Yes, presumably yes.
So it's doable, but it remains moot. It's not really relevant as long as we know that the Israeli government will not import a sizable amount, enough workers needed to replace PA workers.
Other arguments we could say is to legislatively, through the Knesset, to create a system similar to the UAE, meaning a tiered system of labor where foreign workers are on one scale. They get a much lower salary. That will also quickly fall into the area of theoretical because we know that Israel's runaway Supreme Court will not allow such a thing.
So we could also promote such an idea and say that we want such a system and agree on it, but it's also moot. So forget it. It's not a viable option.
And as we've discussed endlessly, the U.S. overreach is not limited to PA labor. We have the exact same framework, the exact same system for PA checkpoints and PA access to shared roads. So while many will argue that PA Arabs come with a level of risk, too much of a security risk to be allowed access to shared roads with Israelis, the reality is U.S. pressure to improve PA quality of life by less checkpoints, by more access to roads, is another area, another example where Israeli leaders, political and military leaders, they cannot withstand U.S. pressure.
So the roads are open and the checkpoints are limited. And it's the same pattern, the same story. We've seen it in domestic appointments for ministers, foreign diplomats being selected and designated in judicial reform, in war strategy, in policing strategy. They protect the Israeli left's right to public protest and to assemble. But when the right does the same thing, they put sanctions on individuals.
And when we Israel don't respond, we get it not only from the United States, we get it from the U.N. and from Europe, and now even Japan and Australia feel free to join in.
And it's the same problem and it's the same source. It's Israeli leaders who lack the will and also lack the desire to free themselves and to free Israel from these Western tentacles.
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