Although the Gaza Strip and the West Bank is meant to be thought of as one geographical entity, it was not until November 2014 that Israel, for the first time since 2007, permitted products produced in Gaza to be sold in the West Bank. Initially, only agricultural goods were permitted for export to the West Bank but, later, textile and furniture industries were also allowed to sell some products in this part of the oPt.182 However, as the above chart illustrates, export from the Gaza Strip is only a small fraction of what it once was. In the end of 2013, Corporate Watch met with Saad Ziada, a representative of the Union of Agricultural Work Committees, who said: “[...] the Israeli occupation allows us to export a small quantity of produce, just to show the world that they are nice to the Palestinians, but they are using us. Everything we do is controlled by them.”183 Ziada’s point is exemplified by the case of strawberries produced in Gaza. While Israel allows for export of strawberries from Gaza, it simultaneously imposes restrictions that make the strawberries less competitive than strawberries produced elsewhere. In the past, pallets of strawberries were allowed to be 180 centimeters high and hold 100 cartons, whereas today, the maximum height is one meter and 60 cartons. This makes transportation costs unnecessarily high and reduces the competitiveness of strawberries from Gaza. Restrictions on how pallets with strawberries from Gaza need to be stacked in order to pass security screenings is just one example of arbitrary Israeli restrictions limiting the export of products that have been approved for export.184 No Assistance from Israeli Trade Unions The Israeli trade union federation, Histadrut, reiterated in 2015 to the International Labour Organization’s mission to Israel and the oPt that it is committed to supporting Palestinian workers in Israel.185 However, Histadrut has been heavily criticized for not supporting Palestinian workers and for having promoted racial discrimination against Palestinians in the past.186 To this day, Histadrut still fails to defend Palestinian workers.187 Furthermore, 182 Gisha – Legal Center for Freedom of Movement, “Exit of Goods from Gaza via Kerem Shalom Crossing”, 2015. Available at: http://gisha.org/graph/2401 183 Corporate Watch, “Trading under siege, the dying export industry in the Gaza Strip”, 3 November 2014. Available at: https://corporatewatch.org/news/2014/nov/03/trading-under-siege-dyingexport-industry-gaza-strip 184 Ibid. 185 The International Labour Organization, “The Situation of Workers of the Occupied Palestinian Territories”, International Labour Office, 2015, page 25. Available at: www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/ public/@ed_norm/@relconf/documents/meetingdocument/wcms_368279.pdf 186 Trade Union Friends of Palestine, “The Histadrut – Its History and Role in Occupation, Colonisation and Apartheid”, 2011, page 2. Available at: www.bdsmovement.net/files/2012/10/TUFP-The-HistadrutRI-16.6.11.pdf 187 Ibid. Page 10 51