Palestinian workers’ organizations appeal

Palestinian workers’ organizations urgent appeal
Take Immediate Action to Save Lives and Protect Human Dignity in
Palestine and Lebanon

The Israeli occupying power is waging a ruthless war on Palestine and
Lebanon, which resulted in the killing and injuring of thousands of
innocent civilians -among them many women and children- and destruction
of houses. Israel is acting with the full support of the current leaders
of the United States of America which are trying to impose their
hegemony on the region and the world, within the framework of their “New
Middle East” project and a new international order based on neo-liberal
globalization.

In the absence of a strong reaction from the international community,
Israel will continue its disproportionate and un-discriminating attacks
in violation of international humanitarian law, causing further human
loss and destruction of civilian property and public infrastructure.

We, the undersigned Palestinian trade unions and labor organizations,
call upon all trade unions, labor organizations and other civil society
organizations to take urgent action by requesting their governments’
intervention to:
– end immediately all Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip and
Lebanon
– stop war crimes against civilians in Palestine and Lebanon and open
international investigations of these crimes

We are convinced that your immediate intervention will be an effective
tool against war, discrimination and occupation, which are the other
facet of brutal globalization, neo-liberalism and oppression.

Signatories:

The Democracy and Workers’ Rights Center in Palestine; the Palestinian
Working Woman Society for Development; the Coalition of Independent and
Democratic Trade Unions and Workers’ Committees; the Palestinian General
Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU) ­ Gaza Strip; The Independent Labor
Committees’ Union ­ Gaza Strip; General Union of Telecommunications and
Information Technology Employees - Palestine; Jawwal Company Employees
Trade Union - Palestine; Council of the Palestinian Federation of
University Professors and Employees Trade Unions - Palestine; Federation
of Higher Education Colleges Employees - Palestine; Emergency Medical
Service Union - Palestine; Pharmaceutical Industry Workers’ Union ­
Palestine; General Union of Electricity Sector Workers in Palestine;
Association of Financial Sector Employees in the West Bank and Gaza
Strip; Palestinian Nursing Council; Local Authorities Workers’
Federation ­ West Bank; Union of Health Services Employees ­ West Bank;
Union of Assistant Engineering Professions ­ West Bank; South Workers’
Council - Hebron; Unemployed Workers’ Committees ­ West Bank; Union of
Kindergarten Employees ­ West Bank; Stone Workers’ Committees ­ West
Bank; Federation of Medical Professions Trade Unions ­ West Bank;
Municipalities Union ­ Gaza Strip; Agricultural Workers Union ­ Gaza
Strip; General Union of Petrochemical Workers ­ Gaza Strip; Carpentry
and Construction Workers Union ­ Gaza Strip; Public Services Union ­
Gaza Strip; General Union of Health Service Workers’ Union ­ Gaza Strip;
Engineering, Mechanical and Electricity Industry Employees Union ­ Gaza
Strip; Trade Union Work Front ­ Gaza Strip; Transportation Workers’
Union ­ Gaza Strip; General Union of Governmental Employees ­ Gaza
Strip; Palestinian Red Crescent Society Hospital Workers’ Committee ­
Al-Bireh; Union of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society Workers ­
Hebron; The Sheikh Zaid Hospital Workers’ Committee ­ Ramallah; Abu Raya
Hospital Workers’ Committee; Arab Rehabilitation Society Workers’
Committee ­ Beit Jala; Union of Textile and Garment Sector Workers -
Bethlehem;

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Annex: Facts about the consequences of the Israel’s military attacks
against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip

A month ago, Israel launched “Operation Summer Rains” against the Gaza
Strip. Between 25 June and 26 July 2006, the Israeli occupying forces
killed 157 Palestinians, mostly civilians, including 33 children and 8
women, and wounded at least 700 Palestinian civilians, including 158
children and 21 women (source: Palestinian Center for Human Rights).
Most of the victims were killed during Israeli shelling and gunfire
directed against Palestinian cities, refugee camps and villages in the
Gaza Strip. One of the Democracy and Workers’ Rights Center’s field
coordinators and labor activist lost his brother and another lost his
sister and her two children.

Moreover, in violation of article 53 of the Fourth Geneva Convention,
which prescribes that “it is prohibited for the occupying power to
destroy private property of individuals, groups, state, public
authority, or social and cooperative organizations except if military
operations deem it an unavoidable necessity”, the Israeli occupying
forces have bombed ministries and educational institutions, road and
bridges, the Gaza power station which supplies 45% of the electricity
needs of the population, workplaces, private homes and bulldozed
hundreds of dunums of agricultural lands. For example, in Al-Maghazi,
they destroyed a garment factory owned by Ahmed Hasan Abdel Jawwad, from
which 70 families drew their income (Al-Mizan human rights organization
­ 23/07/2006). Since July 23, the Israeli occupying forces have started
implementing a new policy: they are dropping leaflets in which they
threaten to escalate their attacks and phoning individual families
ordering them to evacuate their homes immediately because they intend to
destroy them. According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, one
of the families which were targeted is the “family of Salah Saleh
El-Sha’er (48) from Qiezan El- Najjar area in Khan Younis. The house
consisted of 3 stories and housed 40 people, including 28 children. It
was bombed by a fighter jet, and was totally destroyed. Nearby houses
suffered damages. In addition, several neighbors were injured”.

Other collective punishment measures against the Gaza Strip population
include the closure of all border crossings between the Gaza Strip and
the external world, forbidding all movement of people and goods.
Electricity cuts are paralyzing factories and enterprises in many areas.
Poverty, which had already reached 87% in the Gaza Strip in the 2nd
quarter of 2006 (PCBS) as a result of the financial boycott of the
Palestinian Authority, has further increased.