NYC Labor for Palestine Statement on the Ceasefire in Gaza: A Victory of Palestinian Resistance
In these first days of the ceasefire, NYC Labor for Palestine applauds the Palestinian people of Gaza for this historic achievement—an unequivocal triumph by the Palestinian resistance over the Zionist entity and U.S. Empire.
After 471 days of an unprecedented level of U.S.-backed Israeli genocide, including unending air strikes, starvation, torture, and sexual violence, our hearts are, as always, with Palestine. We know that relief, grief, rage, and hope must all coexist, as families return to their homes, celebrate the release of loved ones from prison, and as they finally have some measure of space to breathe, rest, and rebuild.
At the same time, as Zionist settlers and the Israeli Occupation Forces escalate horrific violence in the occupied West Bank, we know that here in the belly of the beast, our work confronting empire has never been more urgent. We will continue to observe the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) picket line by honoring calls for solidarity from the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions-Gaza (PGFTU-Gaza) and other Palestinian labor bodies, such as the Palestinian Journalist Syndicate (PJS).
We will continue to apply pressure to our unions and workplaces, demanding:
- An immediate and permanent end to the siege on Gaza, the halting of all U.S. military aid for Israel, and an arms embargo.
- That our unions sever ties with Israel’s racist labor federation, the Histadrut and its U.S. mouthpiece, the Jewish Labor Committee.
- Divestment from Israel Bonds as well as industries connected with Zionist settler colonialism and occupation.
There is no doubt that many union officials will use the ceasefire to ignore our demands. But we must be clear with them and with our fellow workers: As long as Palestine is occupied and its people are denied their right of return and self-determination, our task remains the same. Gaza did not waver or bend in its terms, and as a result, we are witnessing a glimpse of the liberation we know is to come. Whatever we may face, including potential repression at the hands of the Trump administration, we will not yield.
Amidst fury and sorrow for what we have witnessed, our clarity has only increased. The ceasefire deal that is now in effect was on the table in May 2024. It is our government that is the head of this beast, and Biden and the Democratic establishment could have stopped this genocide on October 8, 2023—sparing hundreds of thousands of Palestinian lives. As we organize, we will continue to emphasize that we all have the same enemies: The billionaire class, which puts profit above all else, and the two capitalist political parties who do their bidding. Unions cannot continue to pour millions of our union dues dollars into supporting politicians who do nothing but inflict systemic violence on Black, brown, Indigenous, and working class people here and around the world.
As workers, unionized and not, we can collectively stop the gears of this war machine. With Gaza as our compass, we know that we are not powerless. The Palestinian resistance has shown us what it means to love life and freedom–and from those teachings, we remember our duty to keep fighting against the U.S.-Zionist forces that do everything in their power to kill and maim.
May every worker engage in resistance, in our workplaces and in the streets, until the day we see the dawn break across a Free Palestine, from the river to the sea!
