Our report analyses and outlines the direct link between Israel’s occupation and settler-colonialism, and the denial of Palestinian’s right to work as outlined in the ILO’s Decent Work Agenda.

Through a set of repressive and exploitative military and economic policies, Israel has structured the captivity and de-development of the Palestinian economy, directly precluding any prospect of economic and human development. In 2017, the oPt’s economic growth stood at a low of three percent, leading to the highest levels of unemployment in the world (30.8 percent) by 2018.

The systematic devastation of the oPt economy, and lack of jobs within it, has forced Palestinians to seek employment in the Israeli market, under extremely precarious and exploitative conditions. In 2018, some 131,000 Palestinian worked in illegal settlements and in Israel, representing 13 percent of the employed Palestinian labour force.

While Israel, as the Occupying Power, is the primary duty bearer to ensure respect for international humanitarian and human rights of the occupied Palestinian population, states which are not party to the conflict, such as EU Member States and the EU also have an obligation to not aid, assist or recognise bodies that violate international law and to cooperate to put an end to these violations even if they do not directly affect them.

However, as this report shows, when it comes to Israel the EU continues to violate its own directives and commitments to international law and human rights. Furthermore, the EU acts in ways which directly bolster Israel and its economy, at the expense of Palestinians.

In the face of entrenched complicity by the EU, European states and corporations, trade unionists can act in line with the fundamental values of trade union internationalism and take concrete action in solidarity with Palestinians in their struggle for freedom, justice and dignity.

Read the full report here

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