Why does Israel employ foreign workers in frontier area farming?

On March 4, an Indian was killed and several other migrant workers were seriously injured by an anti-tank missile fired from Lebanon. They were working in a farm in the northern city of Margaliot, Israel.

According to Indian media, the name of the deceased is Patnibin Maxwell. He came to Israel from the country's state of Kerala just two months ago. Since then, New Delhi has been urging Indians staying in Israel to move to safer areas.

This is not the first time that migrant farm workers have been killed in the ongoing conflict. On October 7, 32 Thai farmers were killed and 23 others were captured and taken to Gaza during an attack by Hamas in southern Israel.

According to officials, large numbers of Thai workers have left Israel since October. In addition, the suspension of contracts with Palestinian agricultural workers caused the worst crisis in Israel's agricultural sector to date. In order to meet this shortage, new workers are being brought from other countries like India.

People and experts working with migrants in Israel told Middle East Eye that these workers risked working within the range of rocket attacks. Workers have to work in bad working and living environment.

A History of Farming in Frontier Areas

Israel has a long history of employing agricultural labor in some of its border areas, including Lebanon, Jordan, the occupied Golan Heights, and the Gaza Strip.

Matan Kaminer, a lecturer at Queen Mary University of London, told Middle East Eye that this type of labor near the border is not new. It is associated with the long history of Zionism and the state of Israel.

This lecturer said that Israel has been using agriculture as a strategy to seize land and expand its border territory. Before the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, most of these agricultural works were done by Jewish laborers.

In the following decades, and especially after the 1967 Arab-Israel War (in which Israel captured East Jerusalem, the West Bank, the Syrian Golan Heights, Gaza, and the Egyptian Sinai), the majority of Israel's agricultural labor force was Palestinian.

This is because Palestinians can be hired for less money and are more willing to do hard work than others. According to Kamin, the Israelis have not touched these works for decades. Because, it is hard work with low wages.

But after the first intifada (uprising) in the early 1990s, Israel decided to reduce its reliance on Palestinian labor in agriculture. The country signed an agreement with Thailand to replace the Palestinians with Thai agricultural workers.

Kamin said the agreement to hire Thai workers would be temporary, as the country ensured Israel's demographic balance. They will mostly work as 'guest workers'.

Many of these workers have been facing discrimination and poor working conditions. These include being paid less than the minimum wage, fragile health, safety violations and sexual harassment.

Workers are also worried about their safety. Especially in times of conflict. Bordering agricultural areas such as the Arabah region of the Negev desert near Jordan are relatively quiet. 

However, the Gaza border has been vulnerable for some time due to rocket attacks at regular intervals.

Thai workers were pushed into the war

Farmland along the Gaza border has been hit by rockets during all previous wars. Two Thai workers were killed in a rocket attack in May 2021.

After the killing and abduction of Thai workers during Hamas attacks last October, the country's government repatriated 8,500 workers. Five of the 23 Thai workers captured by Palestinian armed groups are believed to still be in Gaza.

According to Kaminer, Israel has been seeing migrant workers as a neutral third party in the war. But now that is no longer the case. Hamas has become a side in the war since October 7, when it also attacked Thai migrants.

Yahel Kurlander, a sociologist at Tel High College in Israel, agrees. Israeli, Thai and Nepali students—everyone—were killed, he told Middle East Eye. Everyone was attacked.

In response to this attack, the Israeli authorities suspended contracts with all Palestinian workers in Gaza. The contracts of most Palestinian workers from the occupied West Bank were also suspended.

Israel is taking people from some countries including India, Sri Lanka, Malawi to fill this shortage of workers. After arriving in Israel, many of these new workers face serious concerns about their safety as well as various challenges.

"They (the workers) told us they were shocked by the gap between their promises and the reality," Asia Ladyzhinskaya, a spokeswoman for an Israeli organization working on labor rights, told Middle East Eye.

Hard work, long working hours, bad environment, difficulties in communicating with employers—not everyone knows who to talk to about these issues, says the rights activist. He said, they (labourers) are working very close to the border and they are scared.

Asia also said Indian workers had raised concerns with the organization before the March 4 attack in Margaliot.

Dangerous situation in the border 

Indian workers came through private contracts. As a result, there is little scope for supervision and protection of their rights. Asia said, Thai workers came through bilateral agreements at the state level. 

They have access to guidance and information. Someone they can ask for help; But the protection in private contracts is comparatively less.

Sociologist Yahel said the precarious housing conditions of migrant workers put them at greater risk than Israelis in border towns. He also said that migrant workers are in a more vulnerable situation than Israelis. Because there are few measures to take shelter at home.

Most of the residents have moved from war-torn areas like Margaliot to safer areas. Some stayed behind to keep the farm running.

Asia said that although they have the opportunity to take shelter in safe places, those who work in the agricultural fields do not have enough time to go to safe shelter after the missile attack sirens sound.

This rights activist also said that people should not die while supplying fruits and vegetables to the Israelis.

Mustafa Kadri, founder of Equidem, a labor rights group, said marginalized migrant workers continue to face "exploitation and mistreatment" of the societies and economies they help sustain.

Mustafa Kadri told Middle East Eye that migrant workers enjoy protected group status as civilians under international humanitarian law. Israel and Palestinian and Lebanese-based armed organizations must respect all other persons and objects with protected status, including migrant workers.