Watch: Nazi-Zionist Histadrut run out of Belfast

Anti-Imperialism, Forward, Trade Unions /

Described by Golda Meir as “a great colonizing agency”, Histadrut has served as one of the foremost weapons of Zionism. As the national trade union centre of the Zionist occupation formed in 1920, Histadrut was crucial in the formation of the Zionist state, being one of the most powerful forces in the Zionist settlements. Led in its early years by arch-Zionist David Ben-Gurion as general secretary, it was praised to the effect that without it, “I doubt whether we would have had a state.” It was through Histadrut that Haganah, a terrorist group that slaughtered Palestinian civilians up until and during the Nakba, was founded. After 1948, the Haganah formed the core of the Israeli occupation forces. Histadrut was also central in the founding of Mapai, the dominant faction in early Israeli politics. To this day, Histadrut represents the majority of Israeli settler trade unions.

Currently, Histadrut vocally supports the genocide in Palestine and withholds billions in wages from Palestinians deducted by the state. Its current chair, Arnon Bar-David, posed for a picture with a shell to be fired on Gaza, signing it with, “Greetings from the Histadrut and the workers of Israel.” Palestinian unions and the BDS movement have called for the international trade union movement to cut all ties with Histadrut, a fundamentally racist organisation particularly culpable for the atrocities Palestinians have suffered.

UNI Europa, a European trade union federation, opened their 6th conference in Belfast on 25th March in Waterfront Hall, including a large delegation from Zionist trade unions that are not just ‘complicit’ with the genocide in Palestine and the despicable exploitation of Palestinian workers, but are important culprits of these crimes. When UNI Europa decided to host Histadrut at their conference, it was in defiance of the demands of the BDS movement and wilful ignorance of Histadrut’s history. The assistant General Secretary of ICTU, Gerry Murphy, said, “We are delighted to be playing our part in welcoming UNI Europa to Belfast.” Upon entering, the Zionist delegation were seen laughing and dancing as protestors held up images of dead babies.

On the opening day of the conference, activists staged a protest outside the entrance, flying Palestinians flags, banging bin lids and chanting. Members of the CYM and BDS Belfast got into the conference hall where they unveiled their flags and Kufiyas and began leading chants throughout the building. Taking over the stage, the activists called out the direct connections of the Israeli representatives to genocide and the complicity of anyone choosing to work with them, demanding that they be removed from the conference. Union representatives opposed to Israel were invited to join them on stage, and many of them stood with the activists, chanting freedom for Palestine. The organisers of the conference attempted to stop the disruption and assaulted several activists, but could do nothing as a large part of the conference displayed their agreement with the protestors.

On the final day of the conference, activists were able to sneak into the hall a second time despite additional security measures – this time disguised with suits, fake passes and fresh haircuts. After being cheerfully greeted by staff members, they made their way into the conference hall at which point they again revealed their kufiyas, flags and a loudspeaker. Many reactionary trade union delegates cheered to remove the activists, as they were violently dragged out by the police which the organisers had on stand-by. The activists then joined the protest outside the building and watched as the Zionist delegation scurried out of the building and onto public transport to chants from the protestors, having received a fitting welcome to Belfast.

This event demonstrates the spinelessness of the trade union movement led by labour aristocratic bureaucrats. In a movement divorced from the reality of the class struggle, it is dominated by economism: a narrow, self-serving focus on reforms which serve to reinforce capitalist relations of production rather than truly threatening their existence, accompanied with a phobia of revolutionary political struggle. These so-called representatives of the working class will sooner have peaceful protestors kicked out than the Zionists carrying out a genocide. By platforming the Zionist delegation, UNI Europa and all those delegates that applauded Ophir Alkalai’s speech are complicit in genocide.

This divide between union membership and bureaucratic leadership is especially pronounced in our own unions. The Irish working class is intensely supportive of Palestine, and they are certainly not delighted to welcome Histadrut. When spineless union leadership fail to oppose the inclusion of Israel in their movement, they are failing totally to represent their membership on the greatest issue of the present day. In a time when trade union membership has cratered in Ireland, particularly among young people, it is asinine for union leadership to publicly break bread with a group foundational to the genocide playing out in front of the world.

Trade unions must reject any links with genocide, and cooperation with the Israeli trade union movement is a very close link. The history of Histadrut should be a firm reality check to anyone who denies this. Some trade unionists, among other apparent leftists, might defend working with Israeli groups on the opportunist premise that there is an Israeli working class whose interests align with Palestinian workers, and a two-state solution could be achieved through fostering solidarity between the two groups. One glance at the actual trade union movement in Israel should quickly dispel this notion. The only solution is the victory of the resistance, the total decolonisation of Palestine, and the establishment of a single, democratic Palestinian state.

These disruptions were part of a full day of direct actions organised by BDS Belfast for Israeli Apartheid Week, in which occupations were carried out in Axa, Barclays, McDonald’s and other establishments complicit in genocide. The CYM has been deeply engaged in Palestinian solidarity activism, often around Queen’s University Belfast as well as off campus, with the focus of building a radical solidarity movement to pressure institutions into severing all connections with Zionism. Following the violent repression of student activists by the RUC/PSNI, the QUB 3 are still facing charges and will be back in court on 1st of May. For more information on how to support the campaign to have their charges dropped, you can follow our solidarity campaign or email [email protected].