New employees have to undergo a probation period of at least one year, and that doesn’t apply to existing staff. While this seems reasonable to ensure no one is hired just to take a job, it is important to note that these are very different kinds of employees. Even if a new employee isn’t required to live in Israel, for example, it’s hard to imagine that a person who applied for a job in Israel and is still looking for another job would be qualified for the position. Employees must have an “Israel passport, a permit for residence and labor rights, or a temporary resident permit (in such cases, the employee’s family must join him in Israel within two years), or a resident foreign worker permit.” Again, this seems reasonable in a way, but it’s worth noting that Israeli law dictates that foreigners can only be hired if it is in the “public interest” and with the employer being “slightly inconvenienced.” A manager must sign that he has no right of return to his country of origin. This is often the deal breaker for new employees, who may not realize that they are not even allowed to apply for permanent residency, and thus cannot even apply for their right to remain here without paying a ridiculous tax on their wealth over their entire life. Employees may only leave the country for two weeks per year without any reason. In other words, the employee is required to have a good reason to leave the country. Theoretically, people should have the right to travel; in practice, however, foreign employees are often not allowed to leave the country at all. The full text of the law can be found here. To get in touch with JVP, please contact [email protected]. Click here for a summary of what is included in the text of the “Immigration Prohibition” law: http://bit.ly/2kL3qmR For information about how we are resisting the “Immigration Prohibition” law, see: https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/2016/10/23/a-letter-to-the-knesset-on-the-immigration-prohibition-law/ Follow us on Facebook: fb.me/jvpisrael Check out this letter from the law firm: http://bit.ly/2kL3qmR ———————————- How to donate to help JVP Israel in general: https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/israel-donations To donate specifically to help the legal fight for this law, which could prevent thousands of people from living and working in Israel: https://jvpisrael.com/donate/ The following are statements from people who spoke out at the “Immigration Prohibition” law hearing at the Knesset: * “In recent years, people have been coming here and building a life in Israel. They have integrated in all areas: economic, social, and so on. You will see us in your neighborhoods, on your streets, in your workplaces, in the Knesset, and in this place. We are you.”- Moshé Machover * “Israel will lose the ability to bring the best and most talented workers to the country, and most importantly, the ability to train the next generation of workers and leaders.” - Dan Ben-David * “I came to Israel to earn a good living, not to study in the history of the Knesset. I am looking for a work permit, but for a long time no one was answering my letters.”- Amit Tavori * “The law affects me as a citizen of this country, as an Arab who came here to build a better life for his family, as a lawyer who has studied, and learned his profession here, as a colleague, who is an employee of this place, and so on. Israel is being stripped of its very spirit.”- Lior Yavne * “In my opinion, Israel should serve as a model for the world and be a just society, without denying the right to life and equal rights to all. I’m sorry that the government of Israel does not want to be a role model, but this law is one step on the road to that abyss.”- Dror Feiler * “When we fight against the occupation, we also fight against laws that criminalize immigrants, against laws that deny a basic human right and a human need: the right to work.”- Dr. Yara Hawari * “This law is, unfortunately, but a manifestation of racism and bigotry. How can Israel be a light unto the nations and deny a basic human right? This law shows the dark side of Israel.”- Dani Klein * “I was not involved in politics until my residency was violated. I was forced to leave and go to the United States. It took my life a lot of hard turns and setbacks. But my children stayed and they are Israeli. I’m an Israeli too.”- Orit Zvieli (an emigrant from Ethiopia who arrived in Israel after the law took effect) *“I came to Israel in search of a job and have contributed to the development of the country. Instead, this new law prohibits my children from joining me here, and from receiving an education and a quality life that would