07


Global unions meet in Ramallah


Tim Dawson, IFJ deputy general secretary, joins a solidarity mission to the West Bank


H


istory crowds in as you approach the Allenby crossing. It spans the Jordan river, linking the Kingdom of Jordan


with the occupied West Bank. Te Dead Sea is close by and Jericho is the nearest setlement. Te crossing serves as the West Bank’s only point of exit to a country other than Israel. It is not in Palestinian control, however. Immediately over the bridge, Israel operates a check point, charging for entry and oſten detaining people before leting them through. Te road from the border traverses


dramatic sandy mountains. Israeli setlements line many of their ridges. When we arrive in Ramallah the evening coffee shops aren’t empty but usual street life bustle has been subdued since 7 October. Modern cars fill the streets while donkey wagons are also a common sight. Our first engagement was with Shaher Saed, general secretary of the Palestinian General Federation of Trades Unions. He greets us with bleak news. Since the war, 200,000 workers from the West Bank who were employed in Israel are barred from their jobs. Te West Bank’s population is slightly less than three million, so unemployment of such a large portion of the workforce has dealt a huge blow to a fragile economy.


Tis situation is exacerbated


by the extreme limitations on movement. And more than 500 people have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli soldiers or setlers since 7 October – twice the number during the previous year. Luc Triangle, general secretary of the International Trades Union Confederation, spoke for us all when he told Palestinian government officials: “I can see the disregard and aggression that you feel daily and the anger that inevitably stokes. Te lives of Palestinian workers are clearly intolerable.” Te Ramallah mission coincided with the centenary of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate which represents media workers in Gaza and the West Bank. We joined its president, Nasser Abu Baker, as he unveiled a monument to the more than 100 journalists recently killed


while doing their jobs. Te trades unions also met


Fatah’s Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority (pictured) since 2005, who said he was against the Hamas killings of October but added: “You can see for yourselves the injustices that Palestinians have to face due to the continued Israeli aggression against our land and people in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem.” He argues his government is the best-placed body to oversee the reconstruction of all Palestine and is heartened as more countries have recognised the state of Palestine. “Gaza is part of Palestine and should be run by the Palestinian government, as should East Jerusalem. We are moving towards real statehood,” he said. In policy and conviction the global unions broadly shared Abbas’ aspirations. Mapping a clear route from the situation today to genuine statehood, however, is the challenge of the ages. If trades unions solidarity is able to contribute to its accomplishment, it will surely be a crowning achievement of our movement.


Tim Dawson


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