The National Education Union (NEU) is seeking to harden the trade union movement’s approach to Israel, labelling it an “apartheid state” guilty of “ethnic cleansing”.
A motion submitted by the union for discussion at the Trades Union Congress’s annual conference in Brighton (Congress 2024), held from September 8-11 – shy of a month away from the anniversary of Hamas’s atrocities on October 7 – contains no mention of the terrorist group’s actions which started the war in Gaza.
The teachers’ union is urging delegates to call on the government to “immediately recognise the State of Palestine”, “end the arms trade with Israel”, “following the ICJ and ICC statements, impose sanctions upon individuals and entities who have made statements inciting genocide against Palestinians” and “revoke the 2030 Road Map for UK-Israel bilateral relations”, a bilateral cooperation agreement between the two countries that looks to strengthen ties. It also calls for a “permanent ceasefire and the release of all hostages and Palestinian political prisoners.”
Russell Langer, Director of Public Affairs at the Jewish Leadership Council, told the JC: “The failure to include in this motion any mention of the atrocities perpetrated by Hamas demonstrates that its proposers have no desire for peace. They simply wish to further spread extreme hatred of Israel. Jewish members of trade unions will once again see their representatives play gesture politics while ignoring the very real issue of how this conflict – and the corresponding rise of antisemitism – is directly affecting them in workplaces here in the UK.”
An amendment to the motion from Unison, Britain’s largest trade union, also urges support for the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement and welcomes the fall of the Economic Activities of Public Bodies Bill (so-called anti-BDS bill), brought by the previous Conservative government but which wasn’t carried over into the new Parliament following the general election.
Steve Scott, Director of Britain Israel Trade Union Dialogue told the JC: "It is outrageous that a motion from the NEU to be debated at this year's TUC Congress has no reference to the appalling Hamas terrorist attacks on October 7. You think there is no reason for the current war in Gaza and I think this insults the intelligence of those attending the Congress."
"As for an arms embargo, this will not stop this conflict but rather embolden others in the region to continue attacks on Israel as they see that they are weakening those who want peace".
"Of course we want an urgent end to this war and a return of all the hostages and in the longer term a resumption of a process that ultimately leads to two states."
The JC has previously reported that the NEU’s general secretary Daniel Kebede posed for a photo with the head of a Palestinian teachers union, Saed Erziqat, who shortly after October 7 shared a post on social media calling on Arab and Islamic governments to support “the viable Palestinian resistance” with money and equipment.
The union claimed that Erziqat’s views were “not brought to the personal attention [of the general secretary] in October 2023 nor at the time of the JC’s article” and he “does not hold this view”.
Kebede has also been criticised for saying “globalise the intifada” at a Palestine Solidarity Campaign rally in 2021, seen by many as a call for violence but which he claimed was an expression “of support for civic protests; it did not convey any support for violence.”
Regarding their motion, a spokesperson for the teachers’ union told the JC: “The NEU has been consistent in its unequivocal condemnation of the abhorrent attacks carried out by Hamas. We continue to call for the immediate, safe and unconditional release of all hostages, over 100 of whom remain in captivity. This motion urges our government to work to achieve the release of all hostages alongside a range of other actions to bring about a permanent ceasefire, ending the death and destruction in Gaza and work to build a peaceful future for both Palestinians and Israelis”.
A TUC spokesperson said: "The TUC’s most recent General Council statement unequivocally condemned Hamas’s brutal attacks on October 7 and the tragic loss of lives.
"The statement also set out our call for an immediate ceasefire and de-escalation of violence in Gaza, the release of hostages and a clear roadmap towards a two-state solution- with a safe and secure Israel and a viable Palestinian state.
"This motion, and the suggested amendments, will be debated at our Congress and we will set out the General Council’s position in response at that point."
Unison has been contacted for comment.
