02) OFL PRESIDENT SLAMS HARPER'S POLICY ON GAZA

 

    In a July 21 statement, the Ontario Federation of Labour says it "joins millions of Canadians who are shocked by the armed conflict between Israel and Hamas, which has created a nightmare for tens of thousands of civilians who are caught in the crossfire."

 

    "The Harper government's policy is unbalanced toward Israel, and is completely out of step with Canadians' views," said Sid Ryan, President of the OFL. "If this government has as strong a relationship with Israel as it claims, then Prime Minister Stephen Harper must use every ounce of his influence to convince Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop his military's indiscriminate bombing of Gaza."

 

    The OFL says "the conflict affects both sides, but by far the worst is being endured by Palestinian women and children. According to the latest update from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, as of (July 20) the Palestinian death toll since the start of the emergency was at least 375, of whom 270 (72 percent) were believed to be civilians. The Palestinian Ministry of Health adds that over 3,000 Palestinians have been injured, including 904 children and 533 women."

 

    The Federation also says "the indiscriminate firing of rockets by Palestinian armed groups into Israel" is unacceptable. Two Israeli civilians have been killed from rocket and mortar fire since the start of hostilities.

 

    But as the statement points out, "Parents in Gaza are fleeing their homes from Israel's attacks, which UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon described as `atrocious'... Nearly half of Gaza's blockaded territory is affected by evacuation warnings or declaration of `no-go zones,' leaving 80,000 people crammed into schools operated by the United Nations, seeking shelter. The high proportion of civilian casualties, along with allegations by human rights organizations about the targeting of civilians and civilian locations by Israel, such as homes and a hospital, have rightly drawn international condemnation... Palestinian labour and civil society groups are crying out for help. An appeal signed by the Palestinian

 

    General Federation of Trade Unions and the Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations Network (comprising 133 member organizations), which was received by the Ontario Federation of Labour, called for `immediate international protection of the civilians of Gaza.'"

 

    "Every effort must be made immediately to protect civilians, especially women and children, in the short term," said Ryan. "I am also urging the Harper government to support a lasting peace, which will only come through international efforts to lift the blockade of Gaza and to end the illegal occupation of Palestinian lands."

(The above article is from the August 1-31, 2014, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading socialist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)