Jewish Labor Committee

President Appelbaum continued:
"This week, Norway 's largest labor union urged the Scandinavian country to lead an international boycott of Israel if it did not reach a peace agreement with the Palestinians.
Last month, the Scottish Trade Unions Congress called for a boycott of Israeli products.
Earlier this year in the U.S. , Hampshire College divested from a mutual fund which owned equity in companies that do business with Israel , leaving an open debate in its stead as to that school's political position regarding Israeli investments.
In response to concerns about growing calls to boycott Israel on U.S. campuses, the American Federation of Teachers has said that academic boycotts are `the complete antithesis of academic freedom.'
The boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement may seem unstoppable but indeed we intend to stop it and we welcome you here today with us as we do so by supporting workers and their unions in Israel and Palestine to promote co-operation and reconciliation.
As President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu have now met for the first time in their new roles, there is new hope for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. It's important that trade unions participate in the change.
In such a climate, where's the room for destructive calls for boycotting Israel that would serve to strengthen the hands of those who wish to see conflict escalate and Israel destroyed?
In backing the Hamas terrorists who deny Israel 's right to exist, trade unions supporting boycotts against Israel have effectively thrown their support behind Iran 's power play in the region. And we all know that the Iranian regime is no friend of the trade union movement.
The traditional role of trade unions when faced with conflict is to bridge the gap between those at war and encourage peace, justice and conciliation. Finding common cause in advocating for the rights of workers over the destructive efforts of conflict-makers is a trade union tradition that TULIP urges upholding and we urge others to join us in the cause.
There are outstanding examples of co-operation between Israeli and Palestinian unions that need to be encouraged. For example, let me tell you about a remarkable initiative launched by the International Transport Workers Federation to make life much easier for Palestinian drivers.
This has been a small but ground-breaking union agreement encouraging dialogue between the Palestinian and Israeli national trade union federations, as well as individual unions and their members on both sides of the divide. This agreement will help improve the livelihoods of hard-working union truckers and their families.
Also as we speak, the construction trade is focusing on a project to engage Israelis and Palestinians together in training in Israel .
These models are a firm rejection of those in trade unions promoting an Israel boycott movement.
There are already unions and associated NGOs in a number of countries that support these goals. But until now they have been fighting the battle alone, each in their own country. Now is the time to join forces, which is why today we are publicly launching TULIP.
We have no illusions that this will be anything other than a long and difficult process. But we also know that we have no choice.
We cannot abandon the field to those whose goal is the destruction of any chance for a real Israeli-Palestinian peace. We welcome trade unionists from all countries to join us."

Distributed at the May 21st event were TULIP's founding statement, along with the Jewish Labor Committee's Statement of Opposition to Divestment From or Boycotts of Israel that 44 union leaders in the United States signed in 2007, as well as a statement against boycotts or divestment from the President of the 6.5 million-member Confederation of German Trade Unions [Deutsche Gewerkschaftsbund - DGB].