25 October, 2024IndustriALL Global Union expresses its outrage over the military escalation in the Middle East. The escalation comes at an enormous human cost and raises fears of a full-blown regional war. IndustriALL is once again reiterating its call for a just and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian and all other conflicts in the region through peaceful means, diplomacy and dialogue.
In May, IndustriALL’s Executive Committee adopted a resolution condemning Israel’s war against the Palestinian people. Since then, the total number of Palestinians killed in Gaza has passed 40 000, Gaza has become a permanent prison with close to 100 per cent poverty and the West Bank is subject to attacks every day, diminishing any hope of a peaceful solution.
More civilians in both Israel and Palestine have been forced to flee to escape the military operations now also involving Lebanon and Iran, exacerbating the already dire living conditions marked by shortages of food, water, and medical supplies.
IndustriALL general secretary Atle Høie states:
“As trade unions, we stand up for the right to self-determination of all peoples and states. Our movement is the largest civil society movement in the world, and we cannot allow this to continue in silence; it will be a stain on the history of our movement if we do.
“We advocate for peace, justice, freedom, equal rights, democracy, human dignity, and the sovereign equality of all peoples and states. We urge an immediate and lasting ceasefire and call on all governments to stop sponsoring Israel’s military efforts to crush the Palestinian people and concentrate on achieving a two-state solution.”
Together with other global unions, IndustriALL has consistently called for a just and durable peace through the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338 to facilitate a viable economic future for an independent Palestine. In May, IndustriALL travelled with seven other global unions and the International Trade Union Confederation to Palestine to express solidarity with unions in the West Bank and Gaza.
The delegation made clear that “we stand in solidarity with Palestinian trade unions and workers during these challenging times. We are deeply concerned by the grave humanitarian crisis faced by the people of Gaza and stand with Palestinians, Israelis, and people worldwide calling for peace, equality, and justice”.
Photo: 27 November 2023, Palestinians families fleeing the north of the Gaza Strip to go to the south ©️ UNRWA photo by Ashraf Amra