Apartheid

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corporate giants. Here we have a third form of it. The oppressors are indigenous, in relative
terms, the victims are foreign ‘guest’ workers. An interesting feature appears at this point. The
foreign workers are often being paid even less than the Palestinians are, or rather, than the
Palestinians were, since Israelis hardly employ Palestinians any longer. This probably never
happened on such a large scale before in an apartheid society: an imported work force is being
paid less than the indigenous, in relative terms, and they are often being mistreated worse in
other ways, too. Or are they? One could well argue that Palestinians, who are not getting jobs
at all, are treated worse in a more general sense. And then we have the Israeli violence. Being
beaten is bad enough, but being bombed or taken out by army snipers targeting civilians is
worse. A neo-apartheid phenomenon thus exists in Israel, but it is not (yet) as severe as
apartheid, not even close to it, in fact. Moreover, Palestinian labor is probably still cheaper for
Israel than the imported work force is, in general economic terms. Although the latter are paid
less, they first have to be imported, then acclimatized in both natural and cultural senses, for
instance by being taught the language. Of course, it is impossible to confidently estimate such
costs, but it certainly seems as if the Israeli decisions not to hire Palestinian workers are
political (ethnicist) rather than economic.
Palestinians in the Occupied Territories are not only isolated from Israel but from each
other as well. Palestinian trade is severely limited between the different autonomous areas
such as between Gaza and the West Bank, mainly due to pass limitations and the lack of direct
routes to the destinations (of Palestinian goods deliveries). A UN report, released in 2003, said
curfews were imposed on towns in the West Bank by the Israeli army 70 per cent of the time
in the second half of 2002, halting about 75 per cent of domestic production. Defining poverty
as living on less than $2 a day, the World Bank, in a companion report, said 21 per cent of
Palestinians were poor when the Intifada broke out in September 2000, and the figure reached
60 per cent in December 2002. The Israelis, of course, say that the Palestinians only have
themselves to blame for this situation, by continuing to engage in violent activities. The
Palestinians, on the other hand, say they did not start the violence and blame Israel for
engaging in illegal, collective punishment. 462
Palestinians with Israeli citizenship are also victims of severe discrimination. In almost
every ministry and state company, the percentage of Palestinians hired is much lower than the
percentage of Palestinians in the work force. Out of the 540 jobs in the Ministry of Trade and
Industry, for example, only four have been given to Palestinian citizens of Israel, who make
up 20 per cent of the work force. And then, out of the state money allocated to the ministry,
only half a per cent goes to projects benefitting Palestinian citizens of Israel. 463
Another example: Public institutions and many private companies make army service
a condition of employment. Of course, this is not unheard-of in countries with compulsory
military service. But Arabs, except for the Bedouin and the Druze Arabs, who are tiny
minorities, are the only ethnicity barred from military service in Israel. Thus, nearly all Arabs
are unable to fulfil a crucial condition of employment, simply because they are by law not
allowed to do so.
To stop this condition of employment was one of nine concrete steps demanded in
2001 by the International Federation of Human Rights Leagues (FIDH) in order to end
discrimination against Arabs in Israel. The other steps demanded by the FIDH included
instituting a constitutional ban on discrimination, removing any reference to ethnicity on
Israeli identity cards, allowing Arab political parties that do not ‘support the Jewish character
of Israel’ to contest elections and extending Arab access to public funds and property rights.
The FIDH said that Israel violates its international obligations by continuing discrimination
and repression of its Arab citizens. 464
462
Heinrich: Conflict Throttling Palestinian Economy-World Bank, 2003
463 2
Bishara, M. 2002 (2001): 52
464
N.N.: Paris-Based Group Slams Israel on Arab Rights, July 4, 2001