Palestine and Israel visit sees real life under occupation

Mike Kirby was a member of the STUC delegation which visited the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Israel in early March. The full report is on the STUC website.

Eleven senior Scottish trade unionists visited their opposite numbers in the Israeli Histadrut trade union centre and the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions, in early March.

They also met representatives of local communities, government and human rights campaigning organisations on both sides and travelled extensively in the West Bank.

The objective of the visit was to gather evidence to help the STUC decide whether to support a campaign for an international boycott of Israeli products, plus disinvestment and sanctions.

The report is an unvarnished account of meetings and discussions that gives a clear indication of the complexity of the political issues faced on the ground by workers, whether Israeli or Palestinian, whether Muslim, Jewish or Christian.

The delegation deliberately sought to engage with the Israeli side as well as the Palestinians. Some of the encounters were “uncomfortable,” especially the meeting with Israeli foreign affairs officials.

As well as listening, the Scottish delegation had some issues to raise. “The delegation questioned the officials on Israel's failure to comply with UN security council resolutions, on the high number of civilian deaths and casualties, the political timing of the attacks on Gaza and Israel allowing the ceasefire with Hamas to expire.

“We did not receive any satisfactory answers to these questions,” states the report.

While considering the undoubted negative aspects of boycott, which were unsurprisingly highlighted by Histadrut, the report concludes by recommending that the STUC should support a campaign for international boycott of Israeli products, disinvestment and sanctions.

“I was a member of the last STUC delegation to the Occupied Territories in 2001, and led the last UNISON delegation to the Occupied Territories and Israel in 2005,” said Mike Kirby. “What I witnessed on this occasion was a greater sense of order and relative stability, particularly in the areas administered by the Palestinian Authority around Ramallah and Nablus.

“However, this is order under occupation.

“An occupation surrounding these areas with check-points and the separation barrier wall and fence, cutting villages in half and away from their agricultural land.

“An occupation further enforced by settlements or colonies and a network of roads, barred to Palestinians and open only to Israeli Army and settlers.”. ..See STUC pages Fringe meeting calls for boycott of Israeli goods, disinvestment and sanctions and Israel boycott to bring justice to Palestinians

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