Foreign Workers in Israel

In this account of a social experiment gone awry, Israel Drori exposes a little-known and recent phenomenon: the importation of foreign workers from Third World economies to Israel. Focusing on Romanian, Thai, and Filipina migrants brought to Israel for specified periods of employment, Drori examines the effect of migrants on Israeli society, particularly the issue of national identity. What began as a political corrective—avoiding the danger of hiring Palestinians to do work that Jewish Israelis would not—has developed into a social and economic problem the state does not know how to handle. In addition to examining the work experiences and social lives of these workers, Drori also situates the Israeli case within a global context, where many affluent nations have significant populations of marginalized, undocumented workers.

Figures and Tables
Foreword

1. Introduction

The Challenge of Labor Migration Policies
Israel: Its Major Dilemmas and Recent Labor Migration
A Note on the Objectives of This Book
Organization of This Book

2. Labor Migration in Israel: Theoretical Context

Theoretical Discussion of Labor Migration
The Theoretical Context of the Israeli Case: The Threat Argument
The Context of the Israeli Case: The Ethnic Identity Argument
Conclusion

3. The Evolution of Government Policies and the Migrant Labor Employment System

The Legal Framework
Policy: The History of System of Entry Permits
The Formation of the Employment System
Conclusion

4. Employment Practices: The System of Placement Agencies

Testimony
System of Employment
Skewed Practices
Testimony: A Day of Negotiations on Behalf of Workers at Kav La’Oved
Conclusion

5. Living and Working as Non-Israelis: Filipino Caregivers

Social and Employment Networks
The Filipina Community in Israel
Breaking out of the Legal Network
Conclusion

6. Thai Agricultural Workers

The Employment System
The Social Environment of Work
Wages and Welfare
Conclusion

7. Rumanian Construction Workers
Work System and Cycle
Mechanism of Control
Conclusion

8. Illegal Labor Migrants: Life and Work on the Run

Working Life
Modes of Incorporation of Labor Migrants: The Case of Their Children
Conclusion

9. Deportation

Deportation: Process and Practices
The Implications of the Politics of Deportation
The Implications for Labor Migrants
Conclusion

10. The Rhythm of Policy and the Employment System

The Reconstitution of the Institutional
Environment and the Employment System
The Rhythm of Policies
Modes of Integration
Conclusion

11. Labor Migration Policies and National Identity

The Consequences of Policy
The Legacy of a “Defensive” Nation
The Effect of Citizenship on Rights to Enter, Work, and Reside in Israel

Notes
References
Index