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

TUFI on the blogosphere

TUFI led a delegation of senior trade unionists to Israel and Palestine from 17-22 October 2010. The trip involved a full itinerary of briefings with sister unions, factory visits, a tour of the West Bank security barrier, and meetings with the Histadrut, the Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU), government officials, ministers and diplomats.

Following the success of last year TUFI once again hosted a daily blog. Click here to read postings from delegates giving you an insight into their experiences and opinions. You can also see photos from the delegation on TUFI’s Flickr Photostream.

Israeli prime minister says he will work with the US to ensure peace talks continue

Speaking to his cabinet on 24 October Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated that he was working with the US to try and ensure that peace negotiations with the Palestinians continue, asserting that he aimed “not just to resume the process, but to advance it in such a way that it cannot be halted in a few weeks or months”.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said on 25 October that he will only negotiate if Israel re-freezes all settlement construction. Israel’s ten-month West Bank settlement construction freeze, enacted to aid the peace process, expired in September, one month after the Palestinians agreed to return to direct talks.

OneVoice expanding grassroots presence across Israel and the West Bank to build support for a two state solution

OneVoice, a grassroots organisation which promotes the voices of moderate Israelis and Palestinians calling for a two state solution, is expanding its work in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Earlier this month, OneVoice Palestine partnered with Debate Mate trainers from London on a series of workshops to train their youth leaders in the West Bank on how to more forcefully make the case for a two state solution in their regular town hall meetings.

OneVoice is also planning to establish additional chapters across Israel and the West Bank in the coming months, including amongst Samaritan Jews. Samaritans live in the West Bank and hold Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian passports and so have a unique insight into the conflict.

Israel and Hamas resume mediated negotiations over Gilad Shalit’s release

Both Israeli and Hamas sources have confirmed that negotiations aimed at securing the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, kidnapped by Hamas militants in 2006, have resumed. The German mediator of the talks has recently expressed that there were “encouraging signs from Hamas” that the talks might be resolved soon.

Hamas want over 1,000 prisoners, including many convicted of terrorist atrocities, released in return for securing Shalit’s freedom. On 19 October Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that prominent Fatah figure Marwan Barghouthi could be released in a prisoner swap once Shalit’s release has been secured.

Hamas and Fatah to hold reconciliation talks

Hamas leader Salah al-Bardawil announced on Tuesday 5 October that Fatah and Hamas representatives intend to hold a second round of reconciliation talks in Syria at the end of the month, with the aim of forming a ‘joint security council’. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is said to have informed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak of the proposed talks and the intention to resolve the historic conflict between the two factions.

Due to Hamas’ ideological opposition to Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, it remains unclear as to how any reconciliation deal would affect the current peace process.

Public sector workers threaten to shut down government services over demand for 3.5% raise

Israeli Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz and Histadrut Chairman Ofer Eini met today (October 2010) in a last-minute attempt to head off a strike of all public-sector employees. Eini assembled the heads of the 15 public sector unions yesterday and received their unanimous approval to take the next step in the official labour dispute.

The Histadrut is demanding that all 750,000 public sector workers receive a 3.5% raise every year for the next three years. But the head of the Finance Ministry's Wage and Labor Agreements Department, Ilan Levin, has only offered them a 0.5% annual increase.

Eini said: "During the period when the economy was in a recession, in light of the world economic crisis, public sector employees contributed their share and gave up half of the vacation allowance they were entitled to… now, when the Israeli economy is growing, there is no reason not to reward the employees for their contribution".

If the strike goes ahead it would shut down all government offices, the National Insurance Institute, local authorities, government companies, the ports and airports, university administrations, and other public institutions.

The Israel Chambers of Commerce, headed by President Uriel Lynn, said it plans on petitioning the Labour Court for an order against the strike, saying such a strike would cause severe economic damage.

Palestinian workers at Israeli factory go on strike

Palestinian workers went on strike on Tuesday 19 October at an Israeli owned factory based on the Green Line that is refusing to pay them minimum wage.

The “Sol-Or” factory at the Nitzanei Shalom industrial zone, located between the Nitzanei Oz and the West Bank city of Tulkarm, employs some 70 workers, virtually all of which are Palestinians from within the Palestinian Authority.

In a landmark decision in 2008, Israel’s High Court of Justice issued a ruling that Israeli businesses operating in the West Bank must pay the Israeli minimum wage to Palestinian workers. The striking workers are also requesting to be paid retroactively for the time they have worked since the law came into effect.

Muhammad Baleedy, the head of the workers union in the food and agriculture industries, sadi that workers are only demanding the minimum required under Israeli law.

Israeli local authorities strike against budget cuts

Local authorities declared a day-long strike on 5 October 2010 to protest against government budget cuts. Employees took to the streets, blocking roads and intersections throughout Israel.

The chairman of the Forum of Heads of Druze and Circassian Local Authorities, Salah Fares said: This is about true concern for civilians. Everyone feels the budget cuts in education and culture… unfortunately no one really wants to help. We have appealed to the Interior Ministry and the Treasury, but no one has shown true willingness to work for the welfare of the state's citizens."

Very Long Odds in the Israeli Lottery

A funny thing happened in Israel last week. The winning state lottery numbers were the same as the numbers drawn three weeks earlier. Dr Chaim Melamed, the statistics expert for the national lottery company, said: “We are in the business of luck, and when it comes to chances and probabilities anything is possible, even the rare and infrequent, like in this case”.

An examination of the machines and lottery balls revealed no irregularities. Yitzhak Melechson, a statistics professor at the University of Tel Aviv, said that “the incident of six numbers repeating themselves within a month is an event of once in 10,000 years.”