US labour unions urge Biden to end military support for Israel
People reacts at the site of what Palestinians say was an Israeli strike at a tent camp in Al-Mawasi area, amid Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip July 13, 2024.PHOTO" REUTER
Seven major US labor unions, representing about 6 million workers, have urged President Joe Biden to "immediately halt all military aid to Israel" ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the US this week.
The letter was signed by the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA), American Postal Workers Union (APWU), International Union of Painters (IUPAT), National Education Association (NEA), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), United Auto Workers (UAW), and United Electrical Workers (UE).
“Our unions are hearing the cries of humanity as this vicious war continues,” said Mark Dimondstein, APWU president, in a press release. “Working people and our unions are horrified that our tax dollars are financing this ongoing tragedy. We need a ceasefire now, and the best way to secure that is to shut off US military aid to Israel.”
The unions expressed concerns in the letter that Biden’s three-part ceasefire plan announced in May 2024 has not been fully accepted, as violence in Gaza persists.
“Large numbers of Palestinian civilians, many of them children, continue to be killed, reportedly often with US-manufactured bombs. Rising tensions in the region threaten to ensnare even more innocent civilians in a wider war. And the humanitarian crisis deepens by the day, with famine, mass displacement, and destruction of basic infrastructure including schools and hospitals. We have spoken directly to leaders of Palestinian trade unions who told us heart-wrenching stories of the conditions faced by working people in Gaza,” the unions wrote.
“The time to act decisively to end this war is now. Stopping US military aid to Israel is the quickest and most sure way to do so, it is what US law demands, and it will show your commitment to securing a lasting peace in the region.”
Earlier this year, US labor unions launched the National Labor Network for Ceasefire, supported by dozens of local unions, including the letter signatories and National Nurses United.
The letter comes as activists plan protest demonstrations in Washington, DC, this week over Netanyahu’s visit, his first to the US since October 7. Thousands of protesters are expected to call for an end to US aid to Israel, which they say has fueled the war in Gaza.