The situation of workers of the occupied Arab territories

The mission had in-depth discussions with representatives of the Palestinian Authority, the Government of Israel, employers’ and workers’ organizations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, Syrian citizens in the occupied Syrian Golan, and representatives of the United Nations and other international and non-governmental organizations, as well as focus groups of Palestinian workers. [...] In the West Bank, the restrictions on movement and economic activity and the overbearing presence of settlements have fragmented the labour market and impeded the development of a viable and vibrant Palestinian economy. [...] The representatives were also guided by the resolutions adopted by the International Labour Conference, as well as the principles laid down in the relevant international labour standards and those enunciated by the supervisory bodies of the ILO. [...] In examining all the issues involved, both during the mission and in the preparation of this report, the Director-General’s representatives bore in mind, as they have always done, the relevant standards of international humanitarian and human rights law, in particular, the Hague Convention of 1907 (respecting the laws and customs of war on land) and the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 (relative t. [...] For now, the roadmaps have been clouded by the uncertainties of the day, both in the region and globally, and the Israelis and Palestinians appear to be drifting in unknown directions.