Live reports from delegation to Palestine - please support the boycott policy

Fifth and last report from a delegation to Palestine and Israel by Sam Macartney, UNISON Scotland International Chair: Day 5: Went to Hebron and was not surprised by the number of Israeli solders surrounding this city.

A few hundred Israeli settlers have live in Hebron since 1982. There have always been some issues but this has increased dramatically over the last 20 years. Ever since Israel's settler building program has taken off, there has been many Palestinians murdered since the late 90's including a young 17 year old woman shot and left to die in February this year in front of a mosque.

It took two hours to get an ambulance. Israeli soldiers pulled her body behind a wall so the public wouldn't be upset.

Life for a Palestinian in Hebron is hard an cruel. There are now 400 hundred settlers protected by 3,000 Israeli soldiers. They must feel very safe.

If you feel I'm being tough on Israel and how its ethnic policies are impacting on Palestinians please come to Hebron.

Thanks for listening to my reports and please support the boycott policy because the Palestinian people deserve to live in their own country without fear and oppression.

Live reports from delegation to Palestine - illegal settlements, demolition and displacement

Fourth report from a delegation to Palestine and Israel by Sam Macartney, UNISON Scotland International Chair: Day 4 Jerusalem: Two scheduled meetings for today and a chance to see the illegal settlements which the Israeli government are helping to build and saying their not.

Furniture tossed on the street

UN you need to see a good optician. Illegal settlements spring up in East Jerusalem at a rapid pace. But these are not settlements. These are massive housing schemes with wall to wall shopping malls, schools and facilities which cover miles of stolen territory, while the Palestinians are forced to live in slum like conditions with no facilities and without proper construction guidelines.

Live reports from delegation to Palestine - unions, working conditions and learning

Third report from a delegation to Palestine and Israel by Sam Macartney, UNISON Scotland International Chair: Early start this morning to beat the traffic and the check points, yes there is wall to wall check points - makes a few people feel safe but many others living under occupation.

Sam Macartney at the
Yasser Arafat memorial

Reached Ramallah, and it felt good to be in a Palestinian city were people could smile a little, Our first meeting of the day was with DWRC (democracy and workers rights centre) who advised us of their continued fight to achieve right and safe working conditions for workers and families in Ramallah.

This group, with ties to some trade unions, assists many groups in the city and continues to help children who are forced into work even at the age of 12 to 14 years old. These children need help and support with employers who care nothing for age and exploit them daily.

Violence and harassment are common place with 12% of children spoken to stating they have been subjected to ill-treatment. Israeli employers seem indifferent to child protection laws.

Live reports from delegation to Palestine - UN and Kavla Oved

Second report from a delegation to Palestine and Israel by Sam Macartney, UNISON Scotland International Chair:  Day 3: Met with the UN representative this morning, (Rodger Dalton) also at the meeting was Lord Warner Labour peer, and two forgettable Tory MPs. They were getting to travel to Gaza while groups with a real interest an agenda are barerd.

Meeting with Kavla Oved workers' rights group

The meeting again confirmed the lack of interest by the majority of the UN nations, still no building material aloud to enter Gaza. The Israeli government have stated that building material can be used for terrorism. Meanwhile people live in tents. Some tents where supplied by UN countries who have no intention to ask for compensation from Israel for destroying them.

Live reports from UNISON delegation to Palestine

Sam Macartney, UNISON Scotland International Chair, reports from a delegation to Palestine and Israel: Day one arrived Tel Aviv. As expected I was pulled in by Israeli security, thankfully only questioned for 20 minutes then released. It seems my reputation precedes me!

Another Israeli checkpoint, Jerusalem

On the drive to Jerusalem Noel our driver pointed out the security the Palestine workers and people must face day in day out. Horrendous can't explain what this is like. The harassment and humiliation these people face is beyond words!

There are now walls around all Palestinian settlements with signs stating Jews must be aware that this area is dangerous. For them! So much for shared futures and villages, these truly are divisive structures.

Mahmoud Sarsak urges strong support for Israel boycott on visit to Glasgow

Palestinian footballer Mahmoud Sarsak urged a packed meeting of trade unionists in Glasgow today to keep up the boycott pressure on Israel.The fomer political detainee and hunger striker  gave a harrowing account of being tortured during his three years held without charge or trial or visits from family.

Speaking at a meeting in UNISON's Glasgow offices, he described what happened to him after he was detained by the Israeli security services in July 2009, when they took "both my dignity and my freedom."

 

Mahmoud said he and others, including child prisoners, were abused and suffered medical neglect.

 

BDS Campaign: Israeli Democracy and Human Rights

In an open letter to The Herald newspaper in Scotland, Mike Kirby, Scottish Secretary questions potential attacks on the human rights organisation, B'Tselem, which has been supported by UNISON.