TUFI’s monthly update looks at important trade union issues in Israel and the Palestinian territories, the Middle East Peace Process, regional developments, domestic Israeli and Palestinian affairs and primary issues affecting British trade union policy on Israel

Last-minute compromise averts Israel general strike

A general strike by Israel’s public sector workers was averted after the Histadrut (Israeli TUC) and the Israeli Finance Ministry reached a last-minute agreement in the early hours of the morning on 2 November.

Under the terms of the agreement, Israel's 750,000 public-sector workers will receive a 6.25 percent increase over the next three and a half years. The Chairman of the Histadrut, Ofer Eini, said: "I think this is a good agreement that is honourable for both sides; I think the workers can be satisfied.”

If the strike had gone ahead it would have shut down the country's air and sea ports and most other public services, including public transport and government offices

Israel and US close to new settlement-freeze agreement

American and Israeli officials have reportedly reached a consensus on the text of an agreement which would see Israel freeze West Bank settlement construction for a further 90 days. It is hoped that a new settlement construction freeze will encourage the Palestinians to return to the negotiating table. Israel’s Defense Minister and Labor party leader Ehud Barak stressed the importance of succeeding with the negotiations, saying “two states for two peoples is not a formula or slogan and is not a favour that we are doing for the Palestinians...is the only way”.

Unlike the Palestinian Authority, which has pledged to pursue peaceful means to achieving a Palestinian state, a Hamas spokesperson said on 21 November that they would not support any negotiation with Israel over borders as “giving up one inch of land of the land of Palestine would be considered a national crime and a stab in the heart of honourable freedom fighters who were martyred in defence of Palestine”.

ITF announce new project for Palestinian truck drivers

A new initiative has been announced by the International Transport Workers’ Federation to provide truck drivers in Palestine with basic services at border crossings with Israel.

The project aims to help improve the working conditions of Palestinian drivers at the border with Israel where they frequently wait for goods to arrive. Services include: the provision of refreshments, toilet facilities and parking areas. Shaher Sa’ad, the General Secretary of the Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU), said: “This project represents the kind of practical organising steps that all organisations could learn from.”

UK trade with Israel increases by 24 percent in first eight months of 2010

Minister for Business and Enterprise Mark Prisk told Parliament on 18 November that UK-Israel trade between January and August rose by 24 percent compared to the same period in 2009. Giving a Written Ministerial Answer, Prisk added that exports of goods to Israel in 2009 were worth over £1 billion, and that over 300 Israeli companies now operate in the UK.

Scientists from the UK and Israel to work together on energy conservation and environmental projects

Scientists from the UK and Israel are to work together on ten energy conversation and environmental projects, under the Britain-Israel Research and Academic Exchange Partnership (BIRAX). The projects, involving collaborations between nine UK and seven Israeli universities, were chosen for the second annual BIRAX awards. Israeli Minister of Science and Technology Daniel Hershkowitz said "the scientific cooperation agreement with Britain, like similar agreements with other countries, is additional proof of Israel's status as a world scientific power".

BIRAX is predominantly funded by the Pears Foundation (£570,000 over five years) and the UJIA (£200,000 over five years), although it has so-far also received £100,000 from the UK and Israeli governments.

Israel rated 15th in UN Human Development Report

Israel has been ranked 15th in the UN’s annual Human Development Report, 11 places higher than the UK. The report is a respected gauge of national development, health, education, income, political freedom, sustainability and human security in 169 countries.

Israel aims for electrification of transport

Israel has set a national goal, the same vein as the Chinese, to make its transport sector “completely free of petroleum” by 2020. In 2011, with the support of the government, the country will implement the world’s first nationwide battery-switching and vehicle-charging network. The infrastructure allows drivers to switch depleted batteries for full ones in less time than refuelling with gasoline. As a result, electric cars no longer require drivers to buy expensive batteries or to worry about limited driving distance.

Israeli government committee proposes progressive taxes on oil profits

A committee of experts appointed by the Israeli Finance Minister, Yuval Steinitz, has recommended a steep rise in the Government levy on successful gas or oil discovery. The committee proposed progressive taxes on profits that could mean the Government taking 66% of profits on flourishing gas fields.

Hamas cell plotting suicide bombings arrested in Nablus

Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces have arrested Hamas militants plotting to assassinate and kidnap Israelis, launch suicide attacks in Jerusalem and murder the governor of the West Bank city of Nablus, Jibrin Al-Bakri. Unnamed PA officials said on 17 November that the cell that hatched the plot was based in Nablus with a network extending throughout the northern West Bank, and was in direct contact with the Hamas leadership in the Gaza Strip.

Israel is at "extreme risk" of terrorism according to a report published on Monday. The Terrorism Risk Index, which assesses the frequency and intensity of terrorist incidents, placed Israel at number fourteen in its list of 196 countries. The security situation in the West Bank, under the Palestinian Authority, has improved over recent years, although this is not the case in Hamas-ruled Gaza. The UK was placed at 47, the US at 33 and France at 44, all deemed "medium risk".

Chilean miners to spend Christmas in Jerusalem

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor announced on 9 November that the 33 Chilean miners who survived 69 days in a collapsed mine have accepted an Israeli invitation to spend Christmas in Israel. Israel has offered the miners an all expenses paid, weeklong tour of Christian holy sites and other attractions over the holiday.