The General Union of Palestinian Teachers (GUPT) welcomes the courageous and principled resolution adopted by the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO), endorsing the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. We deeply appreciate your solidarity with the Palestinian people’s struggle in the face of Israel’s ongoing illegal occupation and apartheid, particularly its genocide against 2.3 million Palestinians in the illegally occupied Gaza Strip as well as escalating ethnic cleansing in the West Bank.
As Palestinian educators under siege, we are inspired by this act of solidarity. It reaffirms that our struggle for freedom, justice, and the right to teach and learn in dignity is not an isolated one — it is shared by workers and educators across the world who uphold the values of human rights and international law.
Israel systematically and violently denies Palestinian students the right to education. Israel has bombed and raided Palestinians schools and universities. As part of its genocide in Gaza, Israel has damaged or destroyed all Palestinian universities and destroyed hundreds of schools. Over 90,000 college students in the Gaza Strip have lost access to higher education.
By declaring its unequivocal condemnation of Israel’s ongoing genocide and taking a stand for justice, INTO has once again demonstrated that meaningful solidarity requires action — not only words.
This resolution echoes the growing voice of educators, workers, and civil society organizations around the world who are refusing to be complicit in Israel’s regime of settler-colonialism, apartheid, and occupation. INTO's decision is a vital contribution to the global struggle to hold Israel accountable for its crimes and to end the impunity that has enabled its nearly 77 years of systemic colonial violence against the Palestinian people.
We salute our colleagues in INTO for standing firmly on the right side of history, and we call on all unions and professional associations globally to follow their example by endorsing BDS and supporting the Palestinian call for justice.
Together, we can end the occupation, end apartheid and end the genocide.
General Union of Palestinian Teachers (GUPT)
