In a landmark victory, an Israeli labour court has ruled that Palestinians recruited to work for Israeli companies on the occupied West Bank are entitled to the same wages and benefits as Israeli workers.

According to a report this week in Ha’aretz, “The court was faced with the question as to whether Israeli law applied to the Palestinians even though the West Bank has not been annexed by Israel and Israeli law does not fully apply there. Despite the fact that the plaintiffs in the case are also not Israeli citizens, the labor court ruled that the workers would have the benefit of Israeli law when it comes to minimum employment terms.”

The case was brought by ten workers employed at the Even Bar stone product plant just outside Jerusalem in the settlement of Ma’aleh Adumim.

The workers were being paid below minimum wages, and the company’s defense had been that they had accepted the work under those terms.

The workers have claimed tens of thousands of shekels in money owed to them by the company.

Judge Daniel Goldberg said “There is a public interest in requiring Israeli employers operating in the territories to pay their workers salaries and other benefits according to Israeli law.”