Hewers of Wood and Drawers of Water

The status of Arab workers the West Bank and Gaza Strip has become one of the most salient social problems facing Israeli society. Noncitizen Arabs in Israel occupy the lowest, most undesirable positions and are paid significantly less than Israeli citizens. The handicaps they suffer are similar in many respects to those experienced by migrant laborers in Western Europe in the 1950s and 1960s, by seasonal Mexican workers in the United States, and by temporary African workers in South Africa.