Trade Unionists’ declaration on Palestine and the Arab Revolutions
menasolidaritynetwork / November 18, 2012
*Updated with new signatures 20 November
We condemn the latest Israeli assault on Gaza, which at the time of writing has killed more than twenty and injured hundreds. There is no comparison between Israeli forces’ enormous firepower and Palestinians’ resistance to an illegal occupation and siege. Israel’s ‘Operation Cast Lead’ against Gaza in 2008-9 killed 1400 Palestinians, a quarter of them children. Then, as now, Israeli spokesmen claimed to be making “every possible effort” to target “enemy combatants only.” By contrast, four Israelis were killed by Palestinians during ‘Operation Cast Lead’.We call for an immediate end to all international military support for Israel.
We affirm our solidarity with the people of Palestine in their struggle for liberation. We support the call by the Palestinian Trade Union Coalition for BDS issued in May 2011 for the trade union movement world wide to break all links with the Histadrut as it is not a trade union, but has been an integral part of the racist Zionist state since its inception.
We also affirm our solidarity with our brothers and sisters across the Arab world who have shown such courage in their revolutionary struggles against dictatorship and poverty. We believe that the Arab Revolutions and the liberation of Palestine are inextricably linked. US and British arms and funding support the repressive Saudi and Bahraini monarchies, just as they fuel the Israeli war machine. These same governments support the Jordanian regime which is now facing a popular rebellion over fuel price rises, and were the biggest backers of Hosni Mubarak’s dictatorship in Egypt.
We reject all forms of foreign intervention in the Middle East – whether by military means or financial. The imposition of neo-liberal and austerity policies by the IMF and the World Bank are simply another means by which Western governments seek to control this region.
We stand in solidarity with the popular revolutionary movements in Bahrain, Syria, Egypt, Tunisia, Sudan, Yemen Jordan and elsewhere in the Arab world.
Stop the attack on Gaza
Liberation for Palestine
Victory to the Arab revolutions
To add your name leave a comment on this article or email menasolidarity@gmail.com – download a petition version of the statement
(All signatories in a personal capacity)
Tumi Moloi, South African Mine Workers’ Committee, South Africa
Miguel Sanz, Andalusian Workers’ Union (SAT), Spain
Mohamed Sghaier Saihi, UGTT, Tunisia
Hind Abd-al-Gawad Ibrahim, Information Centres Workers Union, Egypt
Suad Omar, Trade unionist in the Suez Canal Authority, Egypt
Abu Shady, Independent Union of Water Company Workers in Cairo, Strike Committee Member, Egyptian Federation of Independent Trade Unions – Egypt
Kevin Courtney, Deputy-General Secretary National Union of Teachers, UK
Sheila Coleman, Hillsborough Justice Campaign, Gill George, Unite Health Sector National Committee; Tony Wilson, UNISON NEC; Jenny Sutton, UCU NEC; Sean Vernell – UCU NEC; Elizabeth Lawrence – UCU NEC; Nick Grant, NUT NEC, Outer London; Chris Blakey, NUT (retired); Ian Davies, Community; Shirley Bodman, UNISON (NHS); Gina Elby, Unite Community member; Jacqui Dyer, Community; Stephen Hack, Unite NHS Speech and Language Therapy rep; Lois Hubbard, Unite in the Community & NUT; A. Bell, Community; Tony Hodges, UCU, Greenwich and Bexley Trades Council; Brian Parkin, UCU, University of Leeds; Amanda Sebesteyn, NUJ; Lynne Hodge, Unite workplace and Health and Safety rep; Mike Barton, UCU; Jim Fagan, Chair Waltham Forest Keep our NHS Public; M Bennett, Waltham Forest Keep our NHS Public; Esme Choonara, GMB (NHS); Martin Lynch, NUT Dudley Division Secretary; Jim Godsall, UNISON (Retired); Sophie Smith, UNISON; Chris Everitt, NUT Tameside; Tom Haines Doran, Unite; Emma Chorlton, Unite; David Swanson, UCU Branch Executive Manchester University; Shirin Hirsch, UCU; D G Owens, PCS DWP GEC / NWRC; G. Binette, UNISON Branch Secretary Camden; Anna Owens, PCS HMRC Branch Secretary; A Greenlees, UNISON Branch membership and Steward; John Duff, UNISON; Ken Mackearn NUJ; Julie Hunt, GMB Staff Rep; Ursla Hawthorne, NUT; S. Hawthorne, UNISON; Nick Stone, UNISON; Paul Holmes, UNISON; Mike Thompson, Unite Branch Chair D168m; Steve Ellis, Birkbeck UNISON; Sarah Walsh; Isabel Cupido; Debbie Jones UNISON; Chris Price, UNISON (Local Government); Simon Magorian, USDAW; Austin Harvey, PCS; N Griffith, NUT; Merlin Reader, CWU Rep, Secretary Camden Trades Council; Sarah Cox, NUT (retired); Robert Movat, Unite rep; Jon Giles, NUJ; Tomas Tengely-Evans, NUS/NUJ/Unite (education); Samuel Nelson, NUS; Suzanne Jeffrey, UCU; Margot Hill, UCU; Paul Howell, UNISON rep; T Ramplin GMB; H William UNISON; R Gurney, UNISON; Mike Gavender, NUT, City and Islington 6th Form College; Bill Walther, NUT, City and Islington 6thForm College; Paul McGarr, NUT Tower Hamlets; Sherrl Yanowitz, former SOGAT 82 striker; Neil Rogall, UCU; Sarah Ensor, NUJ; Martin Empson, Treasurer, Campaign against Climate Change TU group; Pete Gillard, Unite Chair South London Area Committee; Matt Raine, UNISON Branch Secretary, Birmingham; Janine Broderick, UNISON steward; Caroline Johnson, UNISON Assistant Branch Secretary; Carol Foster, RMT; Miriam Scharf, NUT rep and officer, Newham Teachers’ Association; S Brown, Unite Community; P L Jones, NUT committee, Bristol; Kieran Sutton, NUS; Dudley Ramden, Unite Health; Noman Subhani, Bristol University; Sam Shaw; Oktay Sahbaz, Day-Mer Community Organisation; Sevgi Tas, Day-Mer Community Organisation; N. Ashraf, Unite; Manjeet Bhatt, Unite; Andy Greene, Unite Community, Camden and Islington; R Ebrahim, UNISON Steward; Steve Mardy, UCU Yorkshire and Humberside; N. Halifax Unite; J Jackson, SWP; F. J. Newman, SWP; Colin Wilson, Unite; Ralph Pigott, GMB, Secretary Colchester Trades Council; Tim Sneller, Chair, Southend-on-Sea Local Government UNISON; Paul Topley, NUT, Harlow Trades Council; Amanda, Unite; Kaltum, UNISON; Zak Cochrane, UNISON; James Cussens, UCU Branch Secretary; Pat Keith, UNISON Steward; Tanya Moat, UNISON Steward; Brenda White, UNISON Steward; Phoebe Watkins, UNISON Branch Chair; John McLoughlin UNISON Branch Secretary, Tower Hamlets; Matt Smith, NUJ; Thomas Allen; Louisa Radice, Prospect; Robert Cobley, UNISON; Matthew Hollinshead, NUS; Ashleigh Field, NUS; Tim Nelson, UNISON; Sinead, SWP; Rob Owen, Croydon NUT; Sundara Jerome, Birmingham NUT; Abu Alamgir, activist; Geoff Dexter, PCS Midlands Regional Learning Organiser; Laurie McNeill, Birmingham University Guild of Students; James Railton, PCS; Charles Hayes, NUS Student rep; M. Humphries, PCS Rep at Sparkhill JC; F. Pearson; Claudia Campbell, unemployed; Shanice McBeen; Andy White, PCS BEC member; Roger Lewis, UNISON; P. Bayes, unemployed (DPAC); J. Hughes, UNISON steward; John Walker, Chair, UCU Ruskin College; Jonathan Maunder, NUJ Branch rep; T. Nicholls, PCS Chair DWP Dorset; Steve West, PCS DWP GEC; Steve Moorcroft, BEC member DEFRA Branch PCS; Marianne Owens, Vice Chair, PCS Wales / R+C GEC; Emili Swift, SWP; Jane Aitchison – PCS Leeds branch secretary; Mary Scully, IUE-CWA Local 201, (Retired); Rob Ferguson, Newham NUT; Isabel Hay, UNITE Rep; Ian Allinson, UNITE EC member; Susan P Stout, CAW 2002 (retired); Michael Letwin, Labor for Palestine (U.S.); Former President, Association of Legal Aid Attorneys/UAW Local 2325; Sally Kincaid Divisional Secretary Wakefield and District NUT; Angela McCormick EIS FELA member
Trade Unionists’ declaration on Palestine and the Arab Revolutions
