Augustine United Church - Edinburgh
Day School

Speakers in Edinburgh:

Manawel Abdel Al will speak on behalf of the Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU)

Salim Vally is a founder member of COSATU and a spokesperson for the South African Anti-War Coalition and Palestine Solidarity Committee

Katherine Nastovski was the Chair of the International Solidarity Committee of Ontario CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employees) when this key Canadian union body committed to boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel

Conference is sponsored by

Unison Scotland International Committee

Unite – T&G Edinburgh Voluntary Sector Branch

Unite – Amicus Edinburgh General Branch

UCATT – Dalkeith Branch

Aim of the conference:

To educate trade unionists on the current situation for Palestinian workers and to debate and provide information for grassroots trade unionists on the current call from Palestinian civil society, including the PGFTU and other Palestinian trade unions, for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel.

Agenda:

* Understanding Palestinian Labour in the Middle East

* Palestinian Workers and International Solidarity

* International Trade Union Solidarity

* Building an Effective Solidarity Campaign

For further details and to register contact campaign@scottishpsc.org.uk

“And we educated the world to understand that there is no one to talk to. And we received a no-one-to-talk-to certificate. That certificate says: (1) There is no one to talk to. (2) As long as there is no one to talk to, the geographic status quo remains intact. (3) The certificate will be revoked only when this-and-this happens - when Palestine becomes Finland. (4) See you then, and shalom.”

“When you freeze that process [i.e. the political process with the Palestinians], you prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state and you prevent a discussion on the refugees, the borders and Jerusalem…Effectively, this whole package called the Palestinian state . . . has been removed indefinitely from our agenda. The disengagement is actually formaldehyde. It supplies the amount of formaldehyde that is necessary so there will not be a political process with the Palestinians.”

I think its an important quote to remember today. It would be great actually to get the whole interview up on-line (hint, hint). The original appeared in Ha’aretz but the link doesn’t seem to work. I reckon it could be published almost without comment.

ISRAEL MUST end the hideous slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza, transport trade union RMT said today.

Condemning Israel’s indiscriminate bombing of civilians, RMT added its voice to the growing world-wide demands for an immediate end to its illegal and inhuman military operations and urged support for emergency demonstrations.

“Israel has unleashed what can only be described as indiscriminate massacre of Palestinian civilians in Gaza and there can be no excuse for it,” RMT general secretary Bob Crow said today.

“Common humanity demands that the world tells the Israeli government that it must stop the bombing, end the inhuman blockade and abandon any plans it has for a land invasion of Gaza.

“It has been the failure of governments such as our own to demand an end to Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian lands since 1967 that has encouraged horrific acts such as those we have witnessed in recent days.

“It is time for the British government to tell the Israeli government that its bombing and blockade of Gaza and its continued occupation of Palestinian lands are unacceptable and illegal under international law and must end.

“We send our solidarity to the Palestinian people, and to those brave Israelis who have refused military service and who demonstrated in Tel Aviv against the bombing at the weekend.

“We urge trade unionists in Britain to attend the national demonstration called in London on Saturday by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and the Stop the War Coalition, and other protests called around the country in the coming days,” Bob Crow said.