It has been a year since the beginning of the genocide against our brothers and sister in Palestine, more than 42 thousand people have lost their lives with the number being on the rise day by day.
All efforts for a ceasefire are falling on deaf ears, with the arrogance of the Israeli government reaching new levels. The Israeli occupation forces are enjoying the freedom to commit massacres against the Palestinian people, with the support of the US, EU and their allies.
The latest escalations in the region are a clear example showing that the murderous state of Israel is not willing to deescalate the situation, with more military campaigns in the region, the invasion and continuous bombardment of Lebanon, the destruction of infrastructure in Syria and Yemen, confirming the fears of a generalized regional war. At the same time the imperialist hypocrites continue their attempt to present it as the “right of Israel to defend itself”.
From the first moment, one year ago, the WFTU remained firm to its principled and longstanding positions. It showed that the root cause of the tragic events of October 2023, is the ongoing occupation and illegal settlement of the occupied Palestinian territories by Israel and the continuous, daily crimes and the blockade of Gaza that have been committed against the Palestinian people for years. With militant mobilizations and several solidarity actions, emphasized that the only way to secure and consolidate peace and security for the people in Palestine, but also in the wider Middle East, is to immediately end the Israeli occupation and settlement in all the occupied Arab territories.
For the international class-oriented trade union movement, the cause of the Palestinian people has always been a priority in the development of actions for practical support and solidarity.
We are proud because, under the WFTU flag, millions of workers in dozens of countries all over the world, have mobilized in solidarity with the Palestinian people. On the other hand, a part of the international trade union movement, subordinated to the instructions and interests of the imperialists, has lost its voice and remains silent in the face of the crime that is being committed, maintaining the unacceptable position of equal-distance and equating the victim with the perpetrator.
In every International Organization, where the WFTU was given a platform for expression (i.e. ILO and the UN), the representatives of our Federation in their official statements have appealed for solidarity, while officially condemning the hypocrisy of the imperialists.
With all available means of expression, of the WFTU, we attempt daily and continuously to strengthen public awareness and mobilization, but also to pressure states and organizations to turn towards the practical and decisive demand for an end to the war.
We salute the resilience of the Palestinian people, doing everything they can to stay alive, enduring the endless military campaigns, imprisonment and torture.
The World Federation of Trade Unions will continue to struggle alongside Palestine. It will continue to fight for the strengthening and the enrichment of the role of the international trade union movement in the struggle of the Palestinian people. It is deeply rooted in the way the class-oriented trade union movement functions and acts that internationalist solidarity is the most powerful weapon of the peoples. Until the final victory, in Palestine and throughout the world.
The international class-oriented trade union movement will never abandon the heroic people of Palestine in their struggle for freedom. We call on our friends and affiliates to intensify their solidarity and support with the Palestinian people. Sending a message to our brothers and sisters in Palestine and the wider region that they are not alone in their struggle.
Long live internationalist solidarity!
Long live Palestine!
