The Histadrut labor federation has decided to allow illegal African migrant workers to become members following a petition filed by the Hadash faction in the Histadrut governing body.
At first, most Histadrut member organizations opposed the decision.
According to Histadrut estimates, some 36,000 migrant laborers from Eritrea and Sudan, who are in Israel illegally, will now be eligible to join the Histadrut, the country's largest labor union.
Attorney Shira Khan from the Kohelet Policy Forum, which works to secure the future of Israel as the "nation-state of the Jewish people," said in response to the decision that "it is clear to anyone who is following the matter that this is another case of rights groups exerting heavy pressure to obtain recognition and rights for illegal residents of Israel."
Khan argued that the move would lead to more attempts to "expand the rights of illegals at the expense of the Israeli economy."
