ABSTRACT
To address only the specific intersection of empire and labor is to view a threedimensional image imposed onto a two-dimensional plane. The conquest of labor sought the successful entry of Jews into various occupations that had previously been largely Arab, either by lowering the standard of living of the Jewish immigrants or raising it for Palestinians. Arabic-language newspapers published by the labor movement sought to convince Arab workers that Jews were their comrades instead of their enemies. In the Jaffa-Tel Aviv region, this discourse was reflected in the successful arguments of municipal and national Zionist leadership that claimed that the rural areas of the six surrounding Arab villages had acquired an “urban value.” Palestinian Arabs continued to work in Tel Aviv after it was granted municipal autonomy in 1921, and as the Tel Avivan economy grew, so did the “problem” of Arab labor and even residency in the town.
