Palestinian Workers' Struggle Union documents occupation violations against workers and demands urgent international action

Ramallah: The Executive Office of the Palestinian Workers' Struggle Union issued a comprehensive documentary report monitoring the extent of grave and systematic Israeli violations against Palestinian workers since October 7, 2023, affirming that the occupation did not merely launch a widespread aggressive war, but also expanded the scope of targeting to include the Palestinian economic and social infrastructure, foremost among them the working class, which constitutes one of the main pillars of national steadfastness and economic development.

The report, which was based on field union monitoring, human rights and union data, and direct testimonies from affected workers and their families, clarified that the occupation authorities have pursued systematic policies during the past period targeting the right to work and livelihoods, by closing crossings and checkpoints, canceling work permits, and imposing strict restrictions on the movement of Palestinian workers, which caused an unprecedented living and economic crisis.

The report indicated that thousands of workers in the Gaza Strip were martyred or injured as a result of direct shelling that targeted workplaces, markets, and shelters, while union organizations documented dozens of cases of shooting at Palestinian workers in the West Bank, in addition to many of them suffering serious injuries and being deprived of necessary treatment and healthcare.

Regarding arrests, the report confirmed that the occupation authorities escalated arrest campaigns and direct targeting of Palestinian workers, with more than 12,000 workers arrested since October 2023, and many of them subjected to arbitrary detention, ill-treatment, and humiliation, as part of a policy aimed at exerting economic and social pressure on the Palestinian working class and weakening its productive capacity.

The report showed that the occupation arbitrarily canceled more than 150,000 work permits inside the 1948 territories, which led to hundreds of thousands of Palestinian families losing their primary sources of income, and caused widespread damage to the construction, agriculture, transport, and other sectors that primarily depend on daily labor.

The report noted that these policies led to an exacerbation of unemployment, poverty, and food insecurity, especially in the Gaza Strip, where unemployment rates reached catastrophic levels, in parallel with a significant increase in the prices of basic materials, a decline in individual income, and an erosion of the purchasing power of working families.

The report also addressed the environmental and living impacts resulting from the Israeli aggression, pointing to the destruction of large parts of the infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, the targeting of agricultural lands and uprooting thousands of fruit trees, and the confiscation of large areas of land, which directly affected male and female workers in the agricultural sector, and Palestinian food security in general.

The Union rejected Israeli claims attempting to justify these measures under the pretext of security necessities, affirming that what Palestinian workers are subjected to represents a systematic policy of collective punishment and a blatant violation of international humanitarian law and international labor agreements, and aims to undermine the elements of economic and social steadfastness of the Palestinian people.

The report called for launching a comprehensive national emergency plan to protect Palestinian workers, establishing a permanent national fund to support affected families, and strengthening employment and social protection programs, in addition to activating Arab and international roles in supporting Palestinian workers and holding the occupation accountable for its continuous violations.

Mohammed Alloush, Secretary-General of the Palestinian Workers' Struggle Union, affirmed that targeting Palestinian workers constitutes a direct targeting of the elements of national steadfastness and the right of the Palestinian people to a dignified life, development, and freedom.

He stressed that the Palestinian trade union movement will continue to document these violations and expose them before international institutions and human rights organizations, and work to mobilize the broadest union and human rights solidarity with the cause of Palestinian workers.

Alloush added that the Workers' Struggle Union will remain biased towards workers' issues and a defender of their legitimate rights, calling on the international community, the International Labor Organization, and global trade unions to assume their legal and moral responsibilities, and to work diligently to stop Israeli violations against Palestinian workers, hold those responsible accountable, and ensure the right of Palestinian workers to decent work, a dignified life, and social justice.