Received from: National Education Union
Congress:
i. stands in solidarity with the Palestinian people following the latest attacks by Israeli state forces on the people of Gaza, East Jerusalem and the occupied territories
ii. condemns the bombing of media offices in Gaza and pledges solidarity with all media workers reporting on the conflict.
Congress notes:
a. 233 Palestinians, 66 of whom were children, and 12 Israelis, including two children, were killed in May.
b. More than 60,000 Palestinians have been displaced in Gaza with homes, schools, roads, medical facilities and other vital services destroyed or disrupted.
c. The Gaza blockade, annexation of Palestinian land, settlement expansion, and forced evictions of Palestinian families have been condemned by the United Nations as breaches of international humanitarian law.
d. B’Tselem and Human Rights Watch (HRW) have concluded that the Israeli regime is guilty of apartheid, with HRW stating that the authorities have “dispossessed, confined, forcibly separated, and subjugated Palestinians by virtue of their identity” and that, “in certain areas, the deprivations are so severe that they amount to the crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution.”
Congress calls on:
1. the British government to work towards a full and lasting peaceful solution to the conflict that recognises Palestinians’ right to self-determination
2. the International Criminal Court Office of the Prosecutor to investigate and prosecute individuals credibly implicated in crimes against humanity
3. the General Council to reaffirm policy to “boycott the goods of companies who profit from illegal settlements, the Occupation and the construction of the Wall”.
National Education Union
Amendment
At end of the final paragraph, after “Wall”, add “and to take meaningful
action to highlight UK pension funds that hold shares in investment funds and companies that aid Israel’s breaches of international law.”
Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association