Palestinian Women Face Exploitation in Israeli Illegal Settlements

The report details accounts from women who described working without contracts, often in unsafe environments, for extended hours, with some reporting incidents of harassment.

According to Oxfam, over 6,500 Palestinian women are currently employed in Israeli settlements, mainly in agriculture and manufacturing, with this number steadily increasing.

Bushra Khalidi, Oxfam’s policy lead for Palestine, called for international action to address what she described as exploitative employment practices.

"Palestinians living in the West Bank are growing increasingly dependent on settlements for jobs but this is less by choice and more the result of decades of Israeli policies that have eroded the Palestinian economy," she said.

Khalidi added that Israeli settlement expansion, land confiscation, and restrictions on Palestinian trade, movement, and development have created poverty and unemployment, pushing more Palestinian women into exploitative labor.

"The international community must act to dismantle these injustices and ensure Palestinian women have access to dignified and lawful employment within their own economy," she said.