A number of trade unions in the UK issued resolutions in 2007 that either directly or indirectly called for divestment from and boycotts of Israel. This year, several unions have preliminary boycott motions on the agenda for their 2008 conferences.
We believe that it is right for unions around the world to be discussing the plight of the Palestinians and seeking ways to provide assistance to them. We do not want to suppress trade union debate on the actions of the Israeli government nor undermine support for the Palestinian people. But we believe that support for Palestinians should not be counterproductive to the situation on the ground and the ongoing peace process. Rather than divestment from Israel, we believe that investment of time, energy and material aid in the peace process is the way to meaningful progress towards achieving a lasting settlement.
Calling for boycotts of Israel is not the right approach for trade unions for a number of important reasons:
- There are now continued negotiations between the two sides aimed at reaching a final agreement for the first time in over seven years. Now cannot be the right time to be calling for divisive boycotts.
- The economic relationship between the Palestinian and Israeli economies is vitally important to the peace process: economic boycotts against Israel can only damage this.
- The Histadrut (Israeli TUC) and the PGFTU (Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions) do not want boycotts but want to continue working together for peace. It is our duty as trade unionists to support them; to show solidarity with their positive efforts rather than call for disruptive boycotts.
- Simplistic and non-constructive efforts in the form of misguided resolutions is not the right approach for trade unions to help, especially when there are a number of positive measures that can express practical solidarity without calling for a boycott.
- Advocates of the boycott of Israel repeatedly invoke the boycott of South Africa. The parallel they draw between Israel and apartheid South Africa is false and a misrepresentation of the facts.
- Extensive human rights violations are taking place in Sudan (Darfur), Saudi Arabia, China, Iran, Columbia, Venezuela, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan, and Zimbabwe. Where are the boycott calls against these countries? Why single out Israel?
The Revival of the Peace Process
With the recent revival of the Middle East Peace Process, this is not the time for proposing ostracism in place of engagement. The last few months have seen positive and significant developments in the region. The Annapolis conference was the first big push for a peace settlement since the collapse of negotiations at Camp David in 2000 and has led to both sides authorising the start of negotiations on the delicate core issues of the conflict. For the first time in over seven years there are continued negotiations between the two sides aimed at reaching a final agreement.
“Mr. Prime Minister [Ehud Olmert], I wish that we, together, continue and closely work in order to achieve a historical mission that we have waited for too long.”
President Abbas at the Annapolis conference, November 2007
“I believe it is time. We are ready. I invite you, my friend Mahmoud Abbas, and your people, to join us in this tormenting and complex path, for which there is no substitute. Together we will start. Together we will arrive.”
Prime Minister Olmert at the Annapolis conference, November 2007
Despite the positive efforts made towards peace, tensions between Israel and Hamas ruled Gaza have been rising in 2008 amid increased violence and casualties. Israelis suffer from ongoing rocket attacks which have increased since Israel completely pulled out of Gaza in 2005 and by a further 150% since Hamas’ violent takeover in June 2007. For Palestinians, this cycle of rocket attacks and Israeli counter-measures is compounding current hardships in Gaza making life for ordinary Palestinians increasingly bleak and miserable. Innocent civilians suffer as they are held hostage by the spiral of violence initiated by the militants who launch rockets from within their territory. In the face of such challenges, it is all the more important that we sustain support for the peace process and support those working towards this commendable goal. Focusing on the positive momentum started by Annapolis and concentrating on constructive solutions to current problems will be the answer to building two viable states, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in peace and security.
Prime Minister Olmert and President Abbas are still meeting fortnightly and recently agreed to speed up the negotiations progress, saying that negotiators would meet on an “almost daily basis”. Three separate Israeli-Palestinian Civil Affairs committees have been set up to work in parallel with negotiations on the final status issues of Jerusalem, refugees and borders. Both the Histadrut (Israeli TUC) and the PGFTU (Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions) are united in supporting these developments.
Israeli and Palestinian Economic Relationship
A stable relationship between the Palestinian and Israeli economies with good trade links is crucial for the peace process to succeed. Ofer Eini, Chairman of the Histadrut, has repeatedly stated that he believes the resolution to the conflict will be an economic as much as a political settlement. The British Government’s report on the Economic aspects of peace in the Middle East, published in September 2007, mirrored this argument and stated that “it is essential to create a stable and consistent framework for interaction between the Israeli and Palestinian economies” and that the Palestinian economy needs a dependable economic and trading relationship with Israel. The international community is striving to push this economic aspect forward by working to boost the Palestinian economy and the Quartet’s Middle East Envoy, Tony Blair, only last November unveiled four joint Israeli-Palestinian economic projects.
Conversely, calls for a boycott of Israel aim to contradict these efforts by aspiring to weaken Israel’s economy. This would be counterproductive; causing a detrimental effect to the Palestinian economy, the peace process, and fundamentally, the Palestinian people.
The Histadrut and the PGFTU: working together
The Histadrut and the PGFTU want to continue working together. The two federations and their organisations maintain contact and are involved with many mutually supportive activities. At the Histadrut’s 2007 annual Congress, the PGFTU was officially represented and the delegation present affirmed its commitment to maintain and extend constructive relations with the Histadrut. They also declared their wish to cooperate in campaigns to improve the economic and social well-being for both Israeli and Palestinian working people.
An example of this cooperation was evident in October 2007 when the Histadrut successfully petitioned Israel’s High Court of Justice for Israeli labour law to be applied in the occupied territories. Nine judges ruled that Palestinians working for Israeli employers in West Bank settlements should be given the same work benefits provided by Israeli law. The ruling set an important precedent that should benefit thousands of Palestinians working for Israelis and Israeli companies throughout the West Bank.
In another program of joint cooperation, over 20 Israeli and Palestinian transport union representatives signed a number of collaborative agreements at a bilateral meeting organised by the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) in June 2007. The Histadrut and the PGFTU continue to meet under the auspices of the ITF. At the latest meeting, held on the 6-7 February 2008, both parties agreed to improve the passage of professional drivers at checkpoints and road blocks in the West Bank.
“Transport is central to the economic and social wellbeing of all nations and that international solidarity between transport workers is needed more than ever in today’s globalised economy... [We] agree too to promote closer cooperation and understanding between Israeli and Palestinian transport workers.”
Statement of cooperation signed by Avi Edri, Israeli Transportation Workers Union, and Naser Yunes, President of the General Federation of Transport Workers.
It is clear that the two union federations want to work for peace together, so it is our duty as trade unionists to support them; to show solidarity with their positive efforts rather than call for divisive boycotts. The general secretary of the PGFTU echoed this in a letter last year to the Chairman for the Histadrut, Ofer Eini:
"We [the Histadrut and the PGFTU] must emphasise our mutual need for peace in our two societies, for the benefit both of workers and because peace will reflect stability".
Shaher Sae’d, General Secretary of PGFTU to Ofer Eini, Chairman, The Histadrut
Why should British trade unions aim to undermine the relationship between trade unions on the ground when real progress is being made? Calls for a boycott can only damage the interest of the workers in both trade union movements. What trade unionists need in the region is solidarity, engagement and respect, not divisive calls that can only help the extremists.
Who’s calling for a Boycott?
It makes sense to listen and follow the decisions of the people living in the region and there has been no official Palestinian call for a boycott of Israel. The PFGTU message to the TUC congress in September 2007 included no reference to a boycott; the launch last year of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) in Vienna - with both the Histadrut and the PGFTU present - involved no reference to a boycott; the elected Palestinian Authority has not called for a boycott of Israel; old foes Egypt and Jordan, who now have direct trade links with Israel, have not called for a boycott against Israel; and the roadmap peace plan specifically calls for the normalisation, not the opposite, of trade relations between other states and Israel. So why should British trade unions be calling for a boycott?
South African parallel
Advocates of the boycott of Israel repeatedly invoke the boycott of South Africa. The parallel they draw between Israel and apartheid South Africa is false. The Palestinian (Israeli Arab), Druze and other minorities in Israel are guaranteed full equal rights under Israeli law. All citizens vote in elections. There are no legal restrictions on movement, employment or sexual or marital relations. The universities are integrated. Opponents of Zionism have free speech and assembly and may form political organisations. Israeli Arabs are also represented in the Israeli Parliament.
Israel has a democratic, free trade union movement, representing Jews, Muslims and Christians. Arabs hold positions at every level in the Histadrut organisation, and currently the head of their International Department is the Arab-Israeli, Nawaf Massalha. The organisation regularly criticises the Israeli Government and strongly supports the peace process and a two state solution. This is widely recognised by the PGFTU.
The analogy with South Africa is over simplistic, a misrepresentation of the facts and ultimately completely irrelevant to the Israeli-Palestinian situation.
NUJ and UCU aim to play positive role
A number of British trade unions passed boycott motions in 2007. The National Union of Journalists (NUJ), however, dropped their policy regarding a boycott in July 2007, and has included a motion against boycotts on the agenda this year. The University and College Union (UCU) also announced in September 2007 that the union will no longer pursue the possibility of a boycott after legal advisers deemed it would be unlawful. The General Secretary of the UCU, Sally Hunt, now says she hopes the union will play a positive role in promoting peace in the Middle East. Other unions could follow suit and aim to help, not hinder.
Positive UK trade union engagement
Trade Unions in the UK can do something positive to help move the peace process forward. One example would be to help facilitate contact between the Histadrut and the PGFTU to resolve the outstanding issue of subscription remittances to the PGFTU. The Histadrut is keen to resolve this issue originating from their joint agreement, which was in operation from 1994 until the second intifada in 2000. Both the Histadrut and the PGFTU have asked the TUC and other British trade unions to assist either by providing a venue for discussion or helping to mediate. Resolving this issue would make it much easier to promote further joint work by the two organisations, which is something both of them have expressed a desire to do.
Trade Union Friends of Israel (TUFI) works with a range of organisations to help promote the cause of peace. Below is a list of a few that trade unions could support and work with:
- Givat Haviva is a peace educational institution that works to build cooperation and coexistence between Israel’s Jewish and Palestinian communities and between Israelis, Palestinians and people from Arab States.
- One Voice is an organisation with offices in Tel-Aviv & Ramallah that runs a range of the peace education projects in both Israel and Palestine. Its goal is to find moderate or pragmatic voices from all political parties on both sides to find common ground and work for peace.
- Friends of the Bereaved Families Forum is an organisation that works in the UK to support ‘Parents Circle – Families Forum’ composed of Israeli and Palestinian bereaved families who have joined together to spread a message of tolerance, dialogue and non-violence. (www.theparentscircle.com/)
- Peace Now UK works in the UK to promote the goals of Israeli Shalom Ahshav – Peace Now, founded in 1978 as a grassroots peace movement, campaigning for a comprehensive peace between Israel and its Arab neighbours and a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on mutual recognition, self-determination and peaceful co-existence.
- The Abraham Fund Initiatives works to advance co-existence, equality and
cooperation among Israel’s Jewish and Arab citizens by creating and operating large-scale initiatives, cultivating strategic grassroots projects and conducting public education and advocacy that promote its vision of shared citizenship and opportunity for all of Israel’s citizens.
- The Geneva Initiative is the organisation founded to support the Geneva Accords, the final status peace proposals created by a group of moderate Palestinian and Israeli Politicians, NGOs and individuals.
- Hand in Hand is an education project that runs three mixed Jewish and Arab schools in Israel, aiming to break down barriers between communities. Each school is co-directed by Arab and Jewish co-Principals and each classroom is co-taught by Jewish and Arab teachers.
TUFI Delegations
Trade unionists should think about taking part in one of TUFI’s delegations to Israel and the Palestinian territories to show real solidarity with fellow trade unionists in the region. We would be delighted if your union would like to nominate one or more to join our next delegation where delegates will be able to discuss the issues directly with trade unionists from both Palestinian and Israeli trade union federations and from all levels.
At TUFI we believe that trade unionists can play a constructive role in helping people working for peace on both sides and can make an important contribution in bringing an end to decades of suffering.
Support positive action within your trade union:
1) Work to establish and expand links with both Palestinian and Israeli trade unionists. TUFI can help arrange sister union engagement with the appropriate unions.
2) Request your union to send members on one of TUFI’s delegations in order for them to gain first-hand experience of the situation and report back to other union members.
3) Support and encourage your union to engage positively with both the Histadrut and the PGFTU.
4) Argue against calls for a boycott and support initiatives to help bring Israelis and Palestinians together.
We hope the 2008 trade union conference season paves the way for constructive trade union engagement and solidarity with the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.