PALESTINIAN SOCIETY - Fafo

48 There is no correlation between worker's attitudes towards a future Palestinian
state and prevalence ofwork in Israel. This may indicate that seeking work in Israel
is determined by other factors than the worker's political attitudes and opinions.
49 The relatively low share ofpersons in the youngest age group employed in Israel
is probably caused by Israeli restrictions on work permits for the very yO\�ng. Israeli
authorities commonly tend to regard young men as posing the greatest "security
risks".
50 See the discussion of average daily travel time in the next section.
51 See Table A.7.17, Table A.7.18, Table A.7. 19, Table A.7.20, Table A.7.21 and
Table A.7.22 in the Labour Table Appendix for references to the discussion in this
section. NotethatTable A.7 .21 and Table A.7.22 partiallyoverlapthematically with
the succeeding tables, but use alternative classifications to allow for comparison
with results from the CBS.
52 Note that employed persons in Arab Jerusalem are included " both in the two
groups residing in the occupied territories and in the group of"Non-Jews" in Israel.
53 More than 80% ofPalestinian workers in Israel commute on a daily basis. Staying
overnight in Israel is usually prohibited but a substantial number ofworkers ignore
these regulations. (Sources: International Labour Conference, 79th Session 1992,
Report of the Director General, page 33. Annex 2, "Communication received from
the Israeli government", page 98).
54 On the other hand, daily commuting also reduces potential problems following
up-rooting of workers from their homes and cultuml environment, phenornena
known from studies of permanent international migration.
55 In their labour force survey based on household interviews, the CBS estimated
the 1990 number workers from Gaza and the West Bank in Israel to approximately
108 000. (Because only 3/4 of these workers had regularized employment it is,
however, reasonable to assurne a substantial degreeofunder-reporting in this field).
The 1990 number of employed persons in Israel numbered 1.49 million out of a
labour force comprising 1.65 million. (Sources: I) International Labour Conference,
79th Session 1992, Reportofthe DirectorGeneral, Annex 2, "Communication
received from the Israeli government", page 97. 2) Statistical Abstract of Israel,
1991, tables 27.21 and 12.1).
56 See Semyonov & Lewin-Epstein, "Hewers of Wood and Drawers of Water"
1987, page 17.
57 The problem of low job security and stability has been high-lighted by the
increasing numberof workers seeking employment in Israel, following immigration
from CIS and theconsequences for Palestinian workers ofthecurfew during the Gulf
War.
"
58 See Semyonov & Lewin-Epstein, "Hewers of Wood and Drawers of Water"
1987, page 89.
59 See Table A.7.23 in appendix A.7 for references to the discussion in this section.
60 "The Revaluation of Women's Work", Croom HeIm, 1988, p. 15.
61 The present process of economic modernization in the occupied territories is
likely to be followed by a shift in consurner preferences from services towards
material goods. As an activity not directly generating income, domestic work rnay
thus have its status further eroded in the future, compared to income generating
acti vi ties.
62 See also appendix A.7.
63 Out of the 8% ofall women who had ajob outside the home the year prior to the
survey, as many as 83% werc members ofthe labour force at the timeofinterviewing.
(The remaining 17% probably did not work during the one-week reference period
that determined their labour force status). By contrast, on ly 48% of the women doing
non-formalized jobs the previous year, were members of the labour force at the time
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