HAMAS has called on human rights and humanitarian organisations around the world to fulfill their responsibilities in exposing the escalating Israeli crimes and violations against Palestinian workers.
The occupation must be pressured to lift its unjust siege on the Gaza Strip and the cities, towns, and camps of the occupied West Bank, and to prevent the occupation from restricting workers’ rights to freedom, livelihoods, and work.
Hamas said in a press statement on Wednesday that International Workers’ Day, May 1st, coincides this year with escalating Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people who are struggling for freedom and independence.
They are subjected to the most heinous forms of abuse, persecution, siege, racism, and denial of the most basic human rights, amid a state of international silence, inaction, and failure to move to put an end to the crimes and aggression of the occupation.
Hamas praised the steadfastness of Palestinian workers, ‘in all parts of the homeland, whose blood was the spark and fuel for the uprisings against the occupation,’ expressing its pride in their resilience and defiance of all forms of injustice, siege and aggression.
It affirmed that the suffering of Palestinian workers is part of ‘the tragedy that our people are experiencing as a result of the occupation, which has continued for more than seven decades, and has been escalating for more than 18 months’.
It stressed that ‘there will be no end to this suffering until the occupation is put to an end,’ and that all Palestinians will remain committed to their rights until their aspirations for freedom and self-determination are realised.
Hamas added that the occupation’s crimes against Palestinian workers are systematic crimes aimed at disrupting all aspects of human life, in flagrant violation of all international laws and conventions, calling for urgent international action to stop the occupation’s heinous crimes.
It also praised the positions of ‘free trade unions and labour federations around the globe, which have always supported our people, their legitimate rights, and their just cause, and have taken action in support of Gaza and condemned the aggression against it.
‘We call on them to continue and escalate all forms of action against the Zionist occupation until it stops its aggression against our people and land.’
Hamas called on international labour movements and trade union federations to declare May 1st a day of struggle to renew support for the Palestinian people by organising solidarity events, raising the voice of workers against ‘Zionist aggression and criminality, and demanding an end to the genocidal war and occupation’.
It also called on labour unions in transport and port sectors to ‘escalate the boycott of Zionist and international shipping companies involved in supporting the occupation and supplying it with arms to kill civilians and commit crimes of genocide and ethnic cleansing against our people.’
