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UK Trade Union Congress Opposes a Trade Deal with Israel

(Jewish Chronicle-UK) Ian Austin - Britain's Trade Union Congress emailed Labour MPs to announce its opposition to new trade deals between Britain and countries they say are "systematically abusing human rights." Of course it wasn't about Putin's brutal regime in Russia, China's crimes against the Uighurs or Iranian repression. It was about Israel, the Middle East's only democracy and the only country in the region with a history of independent and vibrant trade unions. What on earth is the organization that is supposed to promote the interests of British workers doing opposing a trade deal that would create thousands of good, well-paid jobs for British, Israeli and Palestinian working people? Trade with Israel is already worth billions to Britain. Hundreds of businesses and thousands of jobs depend on Israeli trade and investment. It provides employment in hi-tech sectors like science, technology and defense. Cars and taxis manufactured by British trade unionists are exported to Israel. Workers at Rolls Royce are building the engines for El Al's new fleet of Dreamliner aircraft. One in seven drugs dispensed by the National Health Service comes from Israel. Israeli IT and computer software are used by businesses and households across the country. Instead of promoting trade and investment to create jobs, bringing people together and creating the foundations on which a peace process can be built, many seem to single out Israel and hold it to standards never applied to countries with truly appalling records on human rights. Too many are obsessed with this tiny country and willing to believe any half-truths, distortions and downright lies about the world's only Jewish state.
2022-03-10 00:00:00
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