The Hebrew-language weekly Ma’ale Adumim featured an interview with Avi Elkaim, Chairman of the Mishor Adumim Industrialists Union and owner of the “Avi B’Mishor” restaurant (27 October 2011). Here are two highlights:

Regarding property taxes: “It’s no secret that we have the same interests as other residents of Ma’ale Adumim, thus my complaint isn’t about the amount of tax [per meter], rather about the fact that we are being charged for dead space, and not just for buildings. Each building is on a lot, some large, some small, for unloading and loading of merchandise onto trucks. The taxes for these open spaces amount to huge sums that not all business owners can bear.”

Regarding the Supreme Court’s ruling (2007) that ordered businesses in Judea and Samaria to pay the same social benefits to Palestinians that are paid to Jewish workers: ” Until the Supreme Court’s ruling, we were bound by the Jordanian work laws that are weaker than its Israeli counterpart in terms of minimum wage, overtime and social benefits. While the industrialists accepted upon themselves the Supreme Court’s ruling, they suddenly began receiving claims from the workers’ lawyers demanding payments retroactive to when the workers began their employment, many years before [the ruling]. If [the Supreme Court] had said that beginning now we will pay according to the new law [okay] but to pay retroactively? Whoever can pay, pays. Whoever can’t, doesn’t survive and has to close his business.”