“Now I am also Israeli”: From Illegality to Legality ‐ Life experiences and identities of migrant workers’ children after receiving civil status in Israel

Abstract

In 2006 and 2010, following demands from local and international civil society organizations, Israel granted civil status to approximately 1500 undocumented migrant workers’ children. This was considered a “one time humanitarian gesture,” not to be repeated. Thousands of other children, who did not fulfill the required criteria, were left without civil status. Within the context of Israel, the homeland of the Jewish people, this mixed‐methods study explored how the children's life experiences have been constructed and reconstructed since the inception of their new civil status. According to the findings, 80 per cent of migrant workers’ children reveal a high degree of belonging to Israeli society, defining themselves as Israelis. For them, receiving civil status has four practical implications: being able to serve in the Israeli army; the ability to travel abroad; better access to the job market; and freedom from fear of deportation. Our study also revealed difficulties due to their religious and ethnic identities, reflected in the children's understandings of what it means to be Israeli. The complex manifestations of their newly acquired civil status is embedded in the concept of “freedom,” i.e. to do and to be what they really want to be.

Ethnocentrism or universal human rights norms? A comparative analysis of debate on the children of temporary immigrant workers in Israel and Taiwan

“…In 2010, then Interior Minister Eli Yishai, who, as already mentioned, was vocal in his opposition to the settlement of all non-Jews, released a list of criteria providing a path toward citizenship for some children of foreign workers and their direct family members. Following the ad hoc governmental decisions in 2005 and 2010, around 1500 children acquired permanent residency in Israel (Babis et al, 2018). Some politicians 'borrowed' the narrative as a post hoc justification for the government's policy change.…”

Flores de Mayo in Rehovot

“…Ovdim zarim (foreign workers) is "a term that essentializes both their ethnic nonbelonging to the nation and their economic definition as workers" (Liebelt 2011: 25). Citizenship, which has always been a right for the Jewish aliyah immigrants, is still precluded for the non-Jewish migrant workers, despite a lively public debate, the struggle and commitment by civil rights organizations (Mundlak 2007), and some concessions by the government (Babis, Lifszyc-Friedlander, and Sabar 2018). Moreover, the strict system regulating visa and work permits creates a precarious and often illegal "labor force of non-citizens in the Israeli labor market" (Raijman and Kemp 2016: a289) and engenders a constant feeling of uncertainty among migrants.…”

“In the army I’m no longer typecast as the son of migrant workers”: modalities of inclusion and belonging among children of migrant workers in the military in Israel

“…Kale and Jessica’s fear was shared by all children of migrant workers in Israel. However, following lengthy campaigns, in 2006 and 2010, some 1,500 children obtained permanent residency followed by citizenship ( Willen, 2005 ; Kemp, 2007 ; Lifszyc-Friedlander, 2010 ; Babis et al, 2018 ; Herzog, 2023 ). Consequently, along with other Israeli citizens, they were expected to serve in the military 1 .…”

“…Previous research has focused on the significance of receipt of civic status for children of migrant workers in Israel ( Babis et al, 2018 ) and their experiences in and adaptation to their military service ( Ben-Shalom et al, 2023 ). In this paper, we examine whether the discrimination and marginalization they faced as children of migrant workers continued during their time in the IDF.…”