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PALESTINE - a trade union issue
Presentation to
Northern Region TUCAssembly RoomsNEWCASTLE
Palestine Solidarity Campaign www.palestinecampaign.org
Palestine
Palestine Solidarity Campaign www.palestinecampaign.org
Who are the Palestinians?
• 3.8 million in West Bank and Gaza• 4.6 million refugees - Jordan, Lebanon, etc.• 1.2 million (approximately) Palestinians
live inside the “48” borders - i.e. Israel. • 88% are Muslims and 12% are Christians
Palestine Solidarity Campaign www.palestinecampaign.org
What is Palestine?
Palestine Solidarity Campaign www.palestinecampaign.org
The Wall
• 703 km Long• 8 metres High• $4.7 million per Km.• The route of the wall
has taken land and split villages and families
• Illegal and condemned by the ICJ and UN
Palestine Solidarity Campaign www.palestinecampaign.org
The Wall - the route
• Does not follow the ‘67 Borders
• Annexes a further 47% of West Bank
• Nearly 16% Palestinians “outside”
• 24 tunnels being built
Palestine Solidarity Campaign www.palestinecampaign.org
The Wall - House Demolitions
Palestine Solidarity Campaign www.palestinecampaign.org
The Wall Crossings and Checkpoints
Palestine Solidarity Campaign www.palestinecampaign.org
The Wall - Qalandiya Crossing
Palestine Solidarity Campaign www.palestinecampaign.org
The Wall - Daily Life
Palestine Solidarity Campaign www.palestinecampaign.org
The Wall Land Theft - Jayyus
Palestine Solidarity Campaign www.palestinecampaign.org
Consequences of the Wall Villages separated from their lands
Palestine Solidarity Campaign www.palestinecampaign.org
The WallBarta West and Barta East
QuickTime™ and aTIFF (LZW) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Palestine Solidarity Campaign www.palestinecampaign.org
Zawiya village protests the Wall
Palestine Solidarity Campaign www.palestinecampaign.org
Illegal Settlements on Palestinian Land
Palestine Solidarity Campaign www.palestinecampaign.org
Palestinian Economic Situation
Palestinian Authority: 3 major sources of funding.• Palestinian Revenues collected by Israel - $65m
month.• Funds from international community - $34m
month• Domestic revenues $35m monthPA employs 152,000 Palestinians. 11,000 in health
sector, 39,000 in education, 73,000 security.
Palestine Solidarity Campaign www.palestinecampaign.org
• BUDGET (Revenue $ Billions) 48.4 1.23• GNI per capita in 2006: $18,620 $1,120• UNEMPLOYMENT 9% 40%• GDP per Head $26,200 $1,500• HDI Ranking (of 177 countries) 23 100• US AID ($ per Day) 7million 0• POLITICAL PRISONERS 1 10,756• UN RESOLUTIONS 65 0
Comparisons: Israel Palestine
Palestine Solidarity Campaign www.palestinecampaign.org
Comparisons: Israel Palestine
• NUCLEAR Weapons 400 (Est.) 0• TANKS 4,500 0• ARMOURED Vehicles 10,000 0• HELICOPTERS 130 0• JET FIGHTERS 500 0• WARSHIPS 50 0• ARMED FORCES 168,000 0• MILITARY ($ millions) 10,000 300
Palestine Solidarity Campaign www.palestinecampaign.org
The human cost of occupation
• Between September 2000 and December 2006
• 4,046 Palestinians killed and 31,168 wounded
• 1,017 Israelis killed and 7,633 injured.
• 606 Palestinians killed in 2006 - 3 times previous year. 141 children.
B’Tselem
Palestine Solidarity Campaign www.palestinecampaign.org
The Palestinians right to resist Aboud village demonstrates
Palestine Solidarity Campaign www.palestinecampaign.org
The Palestinians right to resist Palestinian Trade Unionists at Hawwara
Palestine Solidarity Campaign www.palestinecampaign.org
Life in Gaza
• 1.5 Million inhabitants• 1.1 million live on food aid• 80% live below poverty line• 95% industrial operations are
suspended• Unemployment more than 50%
Palestine Solidarity Campaign www.palestinecampaign.org
Gaza - today
Israel remains the occupying Power in Gaza despite its claim that Gaza is a “hostile territory”.
This means that its actions must be measured against the standards of international humanitarian law and human rights law. Judged by these standards Israel is in serious violation of its legal obligations. The collective punishment ofGaza by Israel is expressly prohibited by international humanitarian law and has resulted in a serious humanitarian crisis.John Dugard UN Special Rapporteur 28/01/08
Palestine Solidarity Campaign www.palestinecampaign.org
Israel - a view from South Africa.
• All this (Apartheid) was a Sunday picnic compared to what is happening to the Palestinians. I say with confidence that Israel is an apartheid state.
• Why are all the things done to apartheid South Africa not being done to Israel?
• The trade union movement must move beyond resolutions, otherwise history will look back on us and spit on our graves.
Willy MadishaPresident, COSATU (11 March 2006 PSC TU Conference)
Palestine Solidarity Campaign www.palestinecampaign.org
Hopes for Peace? Unity and Solidarity
Palestine Solidarity Campaign www.palestinecampaign.org
“(Israel) is a force in the Middle East that actually benefits us. If there were not Israel with that force, we’d have to supply that with our own, so it isn’t just altruism on our part.”
President Ronald Reagan2/2/1981
Why does the US back Israel?
Palestine Solidarity Campaign www.palestinecampaign.org
What do the Palestinians want?
• The Right to Self-determination• The end of the illegal occupation of the
West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem• The right of Return for Palestinian Refugees• The dismantling of the Wall
Palestine Solidarity Campaign www.palestinecampaign.org
What can we do?
• Find out more - Get involved!• Affiliate your union branch and region• Organise a meeting and invite a speaker/show a film• Join the Palestine Solidarity Campaign• Organise a delegation to Palestine• Lobby your MP and MEP• Join 10th May Demonstration• For details about PSC - www.palestinecampaign.org
Palestine Solidarity Campaign www.palestinecampaign.org
Palestine
Palestine Solidarity Campaign www.palestinecampaign.org
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