NEHAWU welcomes the Third International Session of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine in South Africa and we view their presence in our shores as a significant symbolic gesture as there are parallels between apartheid South Africa and Israeli. These esteemed members of the tribunal deserve our respect for their selfless and principled involvement in the promotion of peace and justice in the Middle East.

 

It is our belief that Israel’s practices against the Palestinian people are in breach of the prohibition on apartheid under international law. So we expect the tribunal to articulate and confirm this as the evidence is overwhelming. We urge all South Africans to reflect back on our own history and support the Palestinian struggle for freedom.

 

We also welcome the decision by UNESCO to admit the Palestinian state and we view this as a symbolically significant vote by this United Nations cultural and education agency.

 

NEHAWU condemns the morally bankrupt and unprincipled American and Canadian governments for threatening to withdraw their funding of UNESCO because of their principled stance on the Palestinian issue. We also strongly condemn Israeli’s decision to expedite the construction of thousands of homes in Jewish settlements in West Bank and East Jerusalem in response to the Palestinian’s successful bid to join UNESCO.

 

NEHAWU salutes our federation Cosatu and the class-centred World Federation of Trade Unions {WFTU} for the role that they continue to play in support of the Palestinian cause. We call on our democratic government to support the call for the disinvestment and boycott of Israel.