At the conclusion of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) Congress last week, former ACTU President and newly-elected ITUC General Secretary, Sharan Burrow, has announced an ITUC mission to the Middle East to urge that the peace process continues there. She emphasised the urgent need to address “the illegal occupation of the West Bank, and the need to end the blockade of Gaza that deprives people of their fundamental needs and entitlements.”
ITUC-affiliated unions also resolved to seek an end to the Israeli occupation, removal of illegal Israeli settlements, an end to the blockade of Gaza, dismantlement of the illegal Separation Wall, and recognised “that economic relations with the settlements help to sustain their existence, in violation of international law.” View the AUSPalestine NEWS page for these statements from the ITUC Congress.
In AUSPalestine news, “Our Statement” is an expression from Australian unionists of our strong solidarity with our colleagues in the Palestinian and Israeli union movements who are working to end the illegal Israeli military occupation and its discriminatory policies. “Our Statement” is now open for signatures and we encourage you, your union colleagues, and your union, to sign on to the Statement. View the AUSPalestine OUR STATEMENT page to read and sign on to the Statement today – United We Are Strong!
AUSPalestine 
We reported the vote by ITUC, which is a big victory, given the history of ITUC and its predecessors ICFTU and WCL. PGFTU is quite happy, whereas Histadrut is not, despite the strange spin TULIP puts on all events. Histadrut previously held one of the many vice-president positions. Though not pushing BDS, Sharan Burrow’s statement is quite useful, as is the suggestion by ITF to take an aid flotilla to Gaza. AusPalestine also reported earlier on COSATU’s amendment on boycotts, divestment an dsanction, which Australian delgates tell us was not put, due to maneuvrings by German, USA and Japanese unions. We would prefer that the amendment supporting BDS was put, debated and approved, with the African, Latin American, Asian and most European affiliates supporting it. We would also prefer that ACTU united in support of the Australian trade unions and regional labor councils who have voted to support boycotts of Israel, or at least of settlement products, but since we don’t control ITUC or ACTU, it appears more work needs to be done educating, agitating and mobilising around this with unions from grassroots levels to national leaderships.
Unfortuately, it also rejected the BDS campaign by pro-Palestine unions and elected an official of the pro-apartheid Israeli Histadrut to its executive, much to the glee of the Israel front group in the unions, TULIP (see http://www.tuliponline.org/?p=1930). It did this by blocking a COSATU resolution calling for support for BDS against apartheid Israel. Surely the AusPalestine should point that out?