Defying Palestinian law, many still seek work in West Bank settlements
Palestinian workers are forced to seek employment, and accept harsh working conditions, in Israeli settlements, as the Palestinian Authority has failed to create viable alternatives.
RAMALLAH, West Bank — Moussa Alayla, 48, had been working for almost 20 years in agriculture in Israeli settlements in the West Bank before he decided to capitalize on the experience he had gained and establish in 2002 his own company, Gardens of Eden.
Alayla told Al-Monitor that he grows medical herbs in the Jordan Valley area and exports about 600 tons of 23 different types of medical herbs yearly to a number of countries. However, business success stories of former settlement workers such as Alayla are rare.
Anas Mohammed, 25, graduated from one of the colleges in Ramallah two years ago and has been working for five months in the Ariel settlement as a construction worker. He told Al-Monitor that he had to accept work in the settlement because of a lack of job opportunities in the West Bank.
“I get paid 150 shekels [$38.50] per day. However, the working conditions are harsh as I have to wake up every day at 4 a.m. We work long and hard hours. If I find an alternative [job opportunity] in the West Bank, I will quit,” he said.
