MAJOR ports across the world plan to go on strike today to halt military shipments to war-torn regions, particularly cargoes that support the Israeli regime’s genocidal war against Palestine.
Reports on Wednesday, citing information from the organising unions, showed that dock and port workers at 111 ports in 22 countries around the world will join the coordinated strike.
The workers will stop work for periods ranging from a few hours to a full day today at major ports from Marseille to Mumbai, Hamburg to Montevideo, and Melbourne to Oakland.
More than 25 dockworkers’ unions have officially declared that they will join the strike, while dozens of unions in other sectors have pledged their support.
The striking workers will demand an end to the transport of weapons and military cargo through their ports, especially shipments owned by or linked to the Israeli regime that could be used in its genocide against Gaza and other parts of Palestine.
France’s main dockworkers’ union said ports across the country would be 95% shut on Friday, while unions in Italy, India, Greece, and Turkey said their work stoppages would last 24 hours.
Rallies have also been planned in port cities to protest Israel’s ongoing actions in Palestine, with groups of people declaring that they would join the demonstrations.
The strikes come as the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, a Palestinian-led campaign promoting sanctions against the Israeli regime, said on its X page last week that dock and port workers at major international ports will take action against militarisation, Israel’s genocide against Palestinians, and US-Israeli wars of aggression.
Meanwhile, twelve former US government officials who resigned over Washington’s support for Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza are calling on all 2028 presidential candidates to pledge to exclude officials responsible for enabling the genocide, and violating international law, from future administrations.
In a joint statement, the former officials demanded three commitments from presidential candidates: Uphold US law and international legal obligations, acknowledge Washington’s responsibility for its role in Gaza, and refuse to re-appoint officials who enabled the policies behind Israel’s military assault.
The signatories said the 2028 presidential election presents an opportunity to hold Washington accountable for its role in Gaza genocide and prevent those associated with the policy from regaining power.
The signatories said they had resigned after the US government continued supporting Israel despite internal warnings about the mounting Palestinian death toll, the destruction of civilian infrastructure and restrictions on humanitarian aid.
The statement was signed by Josh Paul, Tariq Habash, Annelle Sheline, Anna Del Castillo, Hala Rharrit, Harrison Mann, Lily Greenberg Call, Stacy Gilbert, Alexander Smith, Riley Livermore, Mike Casey and Hani Z Nofal.
The Trump administration plans to sell $6.4 billion in weapons to Israel as its genocide reaches new heights.
The United States has remained the principal supplier of munitions used by Israel in Gaza, with Germany, Britain and Italy also supplying weapons.
Meanwhile, the World Food Programme (WFP) has announced cuts to food assistance for more than 500,000 Palestinians in Gaza due to a funding shortfall, further deepening the humanitarian crisis as Israel’s genocidal war and attacks on the besieged strip continue.
Now is the time for the world’s trade union movements to take general strike action not only to bring the imperialists war machine to a halt but to bring down all of the regimes that are helping to prop up Israel and who support its mass murder of the Palestinian people.
There is not a moment to lose. The TUC must be made to recall its Congress to call a general strike in support of Palestine and to bring down the Labour government and bring in a workers government.
The workers of the world support Palestine. What is required now is decisive mass action by the world’s trade unions to liberate the Palestinian people and establish the state of Palestine!