COSATU+condemns+latest+Israeli+atrocity,+COSATU+Media+Release

COSATU Media Release, Wed 2006/11/08 04:06 PM
=COSATU condemns latest Israeli government atrocity=

The Congress of South African Trade Unions condemns in the strongest terms the latest Israeli atrocity against the people of Palestine. Israeli tank shells hit five houses and killed 18 civilians, including 7 children, and wounded 54, as they slept in their homes in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun.

COSATU agrees fully with the view of Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas, that the shelling was a "horrible and ugly massacre".

The latest outrage came in a week in which 80 Palestinians have died and more than 350 have been critically injured and this brings the number of people killed since the outbreak of the Palestinian uprising in September 2000 to 5 553, the vast majority of them Palestinians,

COSATU restates its demand that Israel must immediately withdraw all occupation forces from Gaza and end the occupation of all Palestinian land. It must abide by international human rights law, and refrain from imposing collective punishment on Palestinian civilians (as per the UN Human Rights Council declaration issued on 6 July 2006).

All workers and freedom-loving people of South Africa and the world should support the boycott of Israeli goods, and we restate our call for the government of South Africa to break diplomatic ties with Apartheid Israel and institute sanctions against it until it ends its 39 years of military occupation of Palestine.


 * Patrick Craven (National Spokesperson)**
 * Congress of South African Trade Unions**
 * 1-5 Leyds Cnr Biccard Streets**
 * Braamfontein, 2017**


 * P.O.Box 1019**
 * Johannesburg, 2000**
 * SOUTH AFRICA**


 * Tel: +27 11 339-4911/24**
 * Fax: +27 11 339-5080/6940/ 086 603 9667**
 * Cell: 0828217456**
 * E-Mail: patrick@cosatu.org.za**

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