AhlulBayt News Agency: Over 52 global and Arab trade union federations, representing major labor organizations across continents, have called for an immediate halt to Israeli aggression in Gaza and urged support for Palestinian workers’ rights.
Shaher Saad, Secretary General of the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU), on Monday hailed the unions’ joint statement as a powerful expression of global labor solidarity.
He highlighted the catastrophic impact of the ongoing Israeli war, noting that over 507,000 Palestinian workers have lost their livelihoods, marking one of the worst humanitarian and economic crises in decades.
The unions condemned the destruction in Gaza, where entire neighborhoods have been obliterated and workers killed while struggling to survive.
They described the situation not merely as a war but as a systematic effort to eradicate an entire population. The statement holds the Israeli regime fully accountable for these atrocities.
The federations demanded:
- An immediate and comprehensive ceasefire.
- Permanent opening of Gaza’s crossings to allow unrestricted humanitarian and medical aid.
- A halt to arms exports to Israel.
- An end to the use of siege and starvation as weapons of war.
- Lifting restrictions on essential goods, medical supplies, and fuel.
- Compensation for affected communities and accelerated reconstruction of Gaza.
- The release of all detainees and hostages.
The unions emphasized the need to uphold international law and UN Security Council resolutions, advocating for an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, with East al-Quds as its capital. They rejected settlement and annexation policies that undermine peace efforts.
The statement also addressed the escalating violence against workers in the West Bank, including settler attacks, land confiscation, discrimination, and daily humiliations, which the unions described as apartheid and ethnic cleansing enabled by a lack of international accountability.
Signatories include prominent trade unions from across the globe.
Saad urged global labor movements to intensify pressure on governments and expand solidarity campaigns to support Palestinian rights to life, dignity, work, and self-determination, aiming to establish an independent Palestinian state.
Israel launched the campaign of genocide in Gaza on October 7, 2023. It has killed over 56,530 Palestinians there so far, according to the health ministry of Gaza.
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