For many, the crisis is over, but for others, this is far from the case: people have been killed, trust has been broken and soul searching about the truth behind the events has only just begun. This wave of violence has taken a very heavy personal and social toll whose impact is just beginning to appear. In the general chaos, workers in Israel have suffered direct and indirect injuries - in a crisis it is very easy to forget them, their needs and their safety. In the war that just ended, Palestinian citizens of Israel were threatened with dismissal because they went on strike or voiced their protest against Israel’s actions in East Jerusalem and Gaza; migrant workers paid for their employers’ and the State’s neglect with their lives and health; many workers could not leave their homes to go to work and saw their livelihoods affected. Those on the ground have spoken and we listened, supporting the workers during this war, as always.
Political persecution of Palestinian workers who are Israeli Citizens: At the onset of this recent wave of violence, state representatives were quick to issue a statement asking workers not to express political positions on various platforms. This political persecution was quickly translated into practice, and no one was surprised. Kav LaOved was approached by several workers who were summoned to a hearing before dismissal due to social media posts protesting the violence in Jerusalem - in Sheikh Jarrah and Al-Aqsa, in Gaza and in the West Bank. Among these were Ministry of Health employees who were summoned to a hearing after being singled out by self-appointed “thought police” on social media. Other Palestinian Israeli workers were summoned to a hearing following their participation in a one-day strike organized by the High Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel on May 18th. Our lawyers have handled the cases of about ten workers, advised them and stood by their side to thwart attempts to fire them. So far, they have succeeded in preventing the dismissal of these workers, but hearings and other worrying developments continue.