‘Palestinian Women Working in Illegal Israeli Settlements: Dependencies, Exploitation, and Opportunity Costs’ – OXFAM

The paper, which draws on data and case studies from two key reports by Oxfam’s partners: the Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute (MAS) and the Mother School Society (MSS), examines the lives of women working in illegal Israeli settlements, highlighting the emotional, physical, economic and social consequences of this growing trend, and the ways in which expanding settlements continue to devastate Palestinian livelihoods, particularly in the West Bank (including East Jerusalem).  

Interviewed women spoke of being forced to work without contracts, sometimes in hazardous working conditions, over long hours, with some being subjected to harassment.   

More than 6,500 Palestinian women currently work in Israeli settlements, primarily in agriculture (65.5%) and manufacturing (33.3%), with the number steadily increasing.  

Paper released as West Bank sees escalations in Israeli military and settler violence, killings, injuries, forced displacements, residential demolitions and movement restrictions. 

Key findings of the report include: 

• No contracts: The vast majority of women working in Israeli settlements (94%) do not have written contracts, leaving them acutely vulnerable to financial and labor exploitation and unable to address violations of their rights.
• Hazardous working conditions: According to Oxfam’s partner, Mother School Society’s survey of Palestinian women, a staggering 93% of these women reported working in unhealthy and unsafe conditions. Examples include working in fields exposed to hazardous pesticides without safety regulations or protective equipment.
• Long hours: Over 71% of women indicated long working hours as a major burden and challenge both for themselves and their families. A significant portion of them said they worked two shifts, morning and evening, to earn enough money, resulting in chronic mental and physical stress and exhaustion.
• Job Insecurity: Many women reported having to face long and costly commutes, a lack of health insurance and injury compensation. Many also lacked Israeli-approved work permits, which are required to legally access jobs in settlements, leaving them more vulnerable to exploitation and sudden dismissal.
• Harassment: Some women reported wage theft and employees withholding promised benefits, making racial discriminations, as well as harassment, sexual assault, sexual harrassment and physical violence. 

43-year-old Dalal, said: 

“I’ve been working in the settlement for 8 years, I’m the sole provider for my family. Financially, things are tough and my husband is unemployed. If no-one works, who will take care of the household expenses? We only earn 90 shekels a day ($24), what can you buy with that?” 

Bushra Khalidi, Oxfam’s OPTI Policy Lead, said:  

“We’re urging the international community to end the exploitative employment of Palestinian women in these settlements and uphold their rights and protections.  

“Palestinians living in the West Bank are growing increasingly dependent on settlements for jobs but this is less by choice and more the result of decades of Israeli policies that have eroded the Palestinian economy.

Israeli settlement expansion, land confiscation, and restrictions on Palestinian trade, movement, and development have created conditions of poverty and unemployment, forcing more Palestinian women into exploitative labor. 

The international community must act to dismantle these injustices and ensure Palestinian women have access to dignified and lawful employment within their own economy.”  

The report calls for assurances of Palestinians’ access to land and resources, ending the exploitation of their labor, and enabling them to build resilient local economies.

Only by addressing these root causes and holding the Government of Israel accountable for its actions can Palestinians reclaim their rights to dignified work, economic security, and self-determination. 

Ending the system of oppression requires a just and urgent solution – dismantling the illegal settlements and ending the occupation.