A ceasefire has been in impact in Gaza since October 10, however Israel has not stopped its brutal violence. Within the span of three weeks, it has killed greater than 220 Palestinians. On Tuesday, it massacred greater than 100 individuals in 24 hours. Israel continues to refuse to let within the quantity of assist agreed within the ceasefire. It’s blocking supplies and gear for reconstruction and large-scale medical evacuations.
Within the occupied West Financial institution, Israeli troopers and settlers proceed to assault the Palestinian individuals and their property with impunity. They’ve killed greater than 1,000 Palestinians, together with 213 youngsters, since October 7, 2023. Simply on October 16, Israeli troopers shot dead a nine-year-old little one whereas he was enjoying soccer with pals.
A ceasefire clearly is not going to cease the killing so long as Israel receives political, navy and logistical help from the West to proceed its occupation and colonisation of Palestine. Two years of avenue protests all through the world have sought to strain governments to reverse their place on Israel, however they’ve failed to attain vital change.
Massive-scale labour mobilisation would be the reply. Labour unions, significantly in Europe, are uniquely positioned to play a central function in undermining their governments’ help for Israel. Given the lively commerce between Israel and European nations and the logistical significance of European ports, staff in lots of sectors might make a distinction by organising for Palestine.
Over the previous two years, hundreds of thousands of individuals have marched throughout Europe, but governments have largely ignored calls to finish all help for Israel. Even the Irish authorities, regardless of its vocal help for Palestinian rights, engages in large-scale commerce with Israel. Eire was Israel’s third largest importer in 2024.
Public marches usually function a strain valve, channelling dissent and decreasing strain on governments to alter coverage. Industrial motion, nonetheless, is completely different. Employees drive the financial system. Once they refuse to hold out their duties, the results could be politically and economically pricey.
Not like protest marches, strikes and industrial actions can paralyse provide chains, elevate manufacturing prices and drive concessions. Unions have the organisational expertise to escalate actions strategically – from localised slowdowns to national-scale strikes – turning financial disruptions into political strain.
In liberal democracies, unions stay the best instrument via which individuals can drive governments to behave. And there may be loads of proof of that in latest historical past.
For instance, labour unions in Western nations performed an lively function in difficult the apartheid regime in South Africa. The Irish anti-apartheid strike at Dunnes Shops in July 1984 when staff refused to deal with South African items in protest towards apartheid grew to become a landmark within the historical past of staff’ struggles. Equally, in November 1984, San Francisco dockworkers took a stand by refusing to unload cargo from South Africa.
These and different situations of solidarity motion by staff expanded the momentum of the anti-apartheid motion within the West, which finally led to governments formally imposing sanctions on the apartheid regime.
Disrupting EU-Israel commerce
The European Union is Israel’s largest buying and selling associate, accounting for 32 percent of Israel’s complete commerce in items in 2024. The EU provides 34.2 p.c of Israel’s imports and receives 28.8 p.c of its exports. A lot of Israel’s navy provides and logistics come from EU nations. Disrupting this provide chain might immediately undermine Israel’s battle machine.
Ports are essential chokepoints on this chain as a result of they management the movement of products. Selective industrial motion at ports halting shipments to or from Israel would have a major impression. Israeli items symbolize simply 0.8 p.c of the EU’s complete commerce, so such actions would hit Israel arduous whereas minimally affecting EU economies.
Furthermore, disrupting EU ports would ripple past Europe. A lot of Israel’s commerce with the USA, its prime buying and selling associate with $55bn in commerce in items and providers in 2024, passes via main European ports. Blocking transshipments or growing cargo prices by forcing ships to keep away from EU hubs might enhance steeply the price of Israeli logistics.
Commerce unions also can take motion by refusing to deal with items produced in Israeli settlements inside occupied Palestinian territory. Or they’ll go additional and refuse to take care of any merchandise destined for or coming from Israel. This could make participating in commerce with Israel fairly pricey for small- and medium-sized European companies and companies.
In doing so, commerce unions can be upholding worldwide legislation and performing in accordance with established human rights ideas.
Given the large scope industrial protest motion can have, solidarity actions ought to search to ally with labour unions throughout Europe. Solidarity teams can concentrate on mobilising public help, selling client boycotts and educating communities about Palestine’s historical past and Israel’s actions. These actions maintain legitimacy, widen the help base and preserve the Palestinian battle in public consciousness.
In the meantime, unions can take direct motion at manufacturing websites and ports, halting the movement of products to Israel.
The alliance of solidarity actions and unions would shift the battle from symbolic protest to materials confrontation with the programs sustaining Israel’s battle. In September, Italian activists and staff demonstrated simply how efficient such mixed motion could be once they launched a nationwide strike for Gaza.
Converging pursuits in labour and human rights
Israel’s battle and colonisation of Palestine depend on shut relations with companies, significantly in Europe and North America. Many of those companies are additionally main employers in these locations, exploiting staff, driving down wages and lobbying for labour deregulation whereas making the most of occupation and battle. They foyer governments to help Israel and purchase weapons and applied sciences examined on Palestinians to make use of for surveillance and repression on their very own individuals.
This creates widespread floor for solidarity actions and labour unions to unite towards shared oppressors. By disrupting Israel’s provide chain, unions can’t solely weaken its battle effort but additionally maintain companies accountable for prioritising earnings over human lives – whether or not Palestinian or European.
Such convergence of effort between the solidarity motion and labour unions is essential, particularly now that Israel has switched to low-level killing and hunger underneath the guise of a ceasefire to placate international outrage.
We’ve already seen this sample of continued genocidal violence in beforehand reached agreements, which underscores why symbolic gestures and diplomatic guarantees are usually not sufficient to cease the genocide in Gaza. Solely tangible coordinated motion can break Israel’s battle machine.
Labour unions in Europe have the facility to do exactly that by disrupting Israel’s financial lifeline via strategic industrial motion. By focusing on provide chains that gas the battle, unions can strain complicit companies and drive governments to desert empty rhetoric. Symbolic protests and chants towards the battle received’t cease Israel from killing Palestinian youngsters. Employees should unite, take a stand and finish the colonial violence in Palestine.
The views expressed on this article are the writer’s personal and don’t essentially mirror Al Jazeera’s editorial coverage.
