The umbrella organisation for trade unions in the United Kingdom has passed a motion calling for an end to complicity in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza and settler violence in the occupied West Bank. The Trades Union Congress, representing more than 5.3 million workers, voted in favour of the motion on Wednesday during its annual conference in Brighton, southern England. The vote marks the first time the congress has backed the Palestinian-led movement Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions known as BDS.
The unanimous vote demands that the Trades Union Congress take action to oppose what the motion described as the “catastrophic destruction of Gaza” and Israeli settler violence “supported by the IDF [Israeli army]”. The steps include campaigning to end military cooperation and arms deals with Israel, calling on the government to impose wide-ranging sanctions on Israel and backing trade union-led campaigns in support of Palestine. Co-founder of the BDS movement, Omar Barghouti, welcomed the development.
So, we must work further to grow our BDS movement.” The motion puts additional pressure on the government to take a stronger stance against Israel’s actions in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. Last week, UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced a ban on importing goods from Israeli settlements, which are illegal under international law. Addressing Parliament, Miliband denounced “settler terrorists” for carrying out what he described as “ethnic cleansing” in parts of the West Bank.
However, the foreign secretary said he “wholeheartedly” opposes BDS, stressing that the UK would continue to “support important and valued trade” with Israel that adheres to international law. Peter Leary, deputy director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, told Al Jazeera that Wednesday’s vote marked a “tipping point”. Al Jazeera has reached out to the Trades Union Congress and the UK government but did not receive a response at the time of publication.
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