By Left Horizons correspondents
Last Sunday, at the UNISON young members’ conference in Newcastle, the following emergency resolution was passed overwhelmingly:
The National Young members conference notes:
1. The horrific escalation of violence since 7 October in which 1400 Israelis and more than 10,000 Palestinians have been killed so far (as of 7 November). Over 4,000 of the Palestinians who have been killed were children. The number of Palestinians killed is rising rapidly every day.
2. Israel has placed the Gaza Strip under a complete siege cutting off supplies of water, food, fuel, and medicine. Israeli airstrikes continue to target civilian infrastructure – including roads, hospitals, homes, and schools.
3. Palestinians in the occupied West Bank face a lockdown and a growing number have been imprisoned or killed. Whole Palestinian communities have been driven from their homes by armed settlers with support from the Israeli military.
4. Numerous scholars and legal experts have warned of the risk of genocide taking place.
5. This latest onslaught follows decades of violations of international law which meets the legal definition of apartheid.
6. The uncritical support given by the British government and largest opposition party to Israel’s attacks and siege on Gaza.
7. That many young trade unionists, including UNISON members, have joined demonstrations to support calls for an immediate ceasefire, and that this is a central issue for young trade unionists, especially given the high numbers of young people and children affected by the attack on Gaza.
8. UNISON’s continuing support for the Palestinian people’s struggle for independence, territorial integrity and national unity, and our commitment to a strategy of targeted campaigns for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, as most recently reaffirmed through motion 72 ‘We need to talk about Palestine’ at National Delegate Conference 2023.
This conference believes:
International law makes clear that the deliberate killing of civilians, collective punishment and hostage-taking are war crimes. Apartheid, the forcible transfer of populations, and genocide are crimes against humanity. Such crimes are unacceptable no matter who perpetrates them.
An immediate ceasefire is the only way to stop further deterioration of the humanitarian situation. As charities including Christian Aid, Oxfam and Save the Children have said: a ceasefire ‘remains our only option to avert further loss of civilian life and humanitarian catastrophe.’
While calling for an immediate end to all violence we recognise that for there to be lasting peace the root causes of conflict need to be addressed. Israel’s longstanding violations of human rights and international law must end.
This conference asks the National Young Members Forum to:
Encourage UNISON young members to urge the British government and members of parliament to call for an immediate ceasefire.
Work with the NEC to support UNISON’s involvement in boycott, divestment and sanctions campaigns, including promoting UNISON’s guide ‘Palestine: is your pension invested in the occupation’ and the guide for UNISON activists ‘Talking about Palestinian rights’
Publicise UNISON’s affiliation with the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) to regional young member forums and encourage young members in UNISON to participate in PSC campaigns and demonstrations.
