Catalan Workers' Union Passes BDS Resolution - Joins the BDS Campaign

Intersindical Alternativa de Catallunya (IAC) RESOLUTION ON THE SITUATION IN PALESTINE AND THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES Passed at the IAC General Assembly Meeting of 23 November 2008.

Four years after the historic Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which found Israel's Wall built on occupied Palestinian territory to be illegal; Israel continues its construction of the colonial Wall with total disregard to the Court's decision.
Forty one years into Israel's occupation of the Palestinian West Bank (including East Jerusalem), Gaza Strip and the Syrian Golan Heights, Israel continues to expand Jewish colonies. It has unilaterally annexed occupied East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights and is now de facto annexing large parts of the West Bank by means of the Wall.

Sixty years after the state of Israel was built mainly on land ethnically cleansed of its Palestinian owners, a majority of Palestinians are refugees, most of whom are stateless. Moreover, Israel's entrenched system of racial discrimination against its own Arab-Palestinian citizens remains intact. In light of Israel's persistent violations of international law, and

Given that since 1948, hundreds of UN resolutions have condemned Israel's colonial and discriminatory policies as illegal and called for immediate, adequate and effective remedies, and

Given that all forms of international intervention and peace-making have until now failed to convince or force Israel to comply with humanitarian law, to respect fundamental human rights and to end its occupation and oppression of the people of Palestine, and

In view of the fact that people of conscience in the international community have historically shouldered the moral responsibility to fight injustice, as exemplified in the struggle to abolish apartheid in South Africa through diverse forms of boycott, divestment and sanctions;

We, the general assembly of the IAC call for:

1-The world leaders and the United Nations Security Council to demand Israel abides by international humanitarian law and UN resolutions by immediately ending its policy of collective punishment. This requires Israel to immediately halt its siege of the Gaza Strip and stop its construction activities in the Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Separation Wall.

2-Ending the Israeli occupation and colonization of all Palestinian and Arab lands and dismantling the Wall

3- Recognizing the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality

4-Respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194.

5-CONDEMN strongly the repression and the inconsiderate and disproportionate use of force by the army of Israel in Palestine and in the occupied territories which resulted in many deaths and injuries among the Palestinians civilians, especially children

6-To impose broad boycotts and implement divestment initiatives against Israel similar to those applied to South Africa in the apartheid era.

7-To pressure the local authorities and governments to impose embargoes and sanctions against Israel.

8-Call upon the international community to create an International Commission of Inquiry into the events that occurred in Palestine during the last sixty years and that led to the killing of Palestinian civilians, including children, by the Israel occupation forces.

For more information visit http://www.catac.cat

Or contact Luis Blanco at: sindicat@catac.cat