Rafael Eitan and Hagai Meirom, both members of the Knesset (Israel's parliament). These events happened in the context of "The Dirty Trick". In August 1990 some members of the kibbutz, as well as other members kibbutzim affiliated with the Kibbutz Artzi, signed a petition calling upon the kibbutzim movement to launch a non-violent protest against Israel Defense Forces actions against Palestinians in the Palestinian territories during the First Intifada. In 2010 the kibbutz decided, after a series of public meetings, to appoint a team of members to discuss the privatization of electricity, food, mail, barbershop and cosmetics. Other services were to be kept under the responsibility of the kibbutz, including healthcare, education and welfare. The dispute mainly concerned the privatization of the dining room. At the end of the discussions, most privatization initiatives were rejected and only a few minor changes that had no practical effect on the collective lifestyle were accepted. The extension has been constructed in four phases, three of whom are complete. As of 2020, a residential extension to the kibbutz's eastern side is under construction and is planned to include a total of 154 residential units, in residential buildings consisting of two apartments each. A southern part of the extension consists of 110 units and was approved in 2006, on the location of the village and archaeological site of Al-Ghubayya al-Tahta. The extension has been constructed in four phases, three of whom are complete. The second stage was approved in 2018 on the location of the old cowshed and includes an additional 44 housing units. Economy Mishmar HaEmek is one of the wealthiest kibbutzim in Israel. It is based on a collectivist structure where all assets are communally owned and all residents earn the same amount of money. Historically, the kibbutz has relied on agriculture as a key source of income. Today, the kibbutz's agricultural holdings include field crops, orchards, dairy cattle and poultry. The Tama factory, one of the main plastics factories of the kibbutzim movement, has replaced agriculture as the center of the kibbutz economy. In 2015 it was estimated that the company had an annual sales revenue of 1.5 billion NIS which rose to over 2 billion NIS by 2019 (shared with kibbutz Gal'ed). The factory has about 250 workers, a quarter of which are kibbutz members. It manufactures plastic netting used for bundling crops. Tama is one of the biggest companies making