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| May 28, 2006 CBC - CUPE in Ontario votes to boycott Israel The Ontario divison of Canada's largest union has voted to support an international campaign that is boycotting Israel over its treatment of Palestinians. ( Read full text of CUPE Resolution. )
June 5, 2006 CUPE BC is governed on the question of Israel/Palestine by two resolutions passed at its own annual conventions. The first, passed in 2001, called for “the total ending of the Israeli occupation and illegal settlement of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem (UN Resolution 224 and 338), the immediate cessation of the Israeli armed attacks on a civilian people and the ending of the siege on villages, towns and cities (4th Geneva Convention), and the development of a peace process based on equality between Israelis and Palestinians and on the implementation of UN resolutions.” June 7, 2006 I congratulate CUPE Ontario for their historic resolution on May 27th in support of the Palestinian people - those living under occupation and those millions of Palestinian refugees living in the Diaspora. We fully support your resolution.
CUPE defends its position - letters from CUPE president Syd Ryan Letter to Toronto Star - This editorial from the Montreal Gazette asks why CUPE doesn't canvass all its 200,000 members in Ontario regarding the resolution on boycotting Israeli goods that passed at our recent convention. That is like calling for a referendum on every question before Parliament or the provincial Legislature. Letter to Globe and Mail - The resolution submitted by several CUPE Ontario locals was designed to draw attention to the lives of ordinary, innocent civilians living in horrific conditions in Palestine. At the same time, our union continues to support a peace process based on equality between Israelis and Palestinians and based on the implementation of United Nations resolutions and international law. Steelworkers back CUPE Ontario At a recent Toronto Steelworks Area Council meeting a resolution of support for CUPE Ontario was passed unanimously. It reads in part: "The Toronto (Steelworkers)Area Council is concerned about the campaign being waged against CUPE Ontario for having passed "Resolution 50" at its recent Convention. Other messages of Support to CUPE Ontario TorStar - CUPE has history of defending human rights Ontario union democratically voted to engage in a peaceful form of protest against Israel, says Sid Ryan Despite an International Court of Justice declaration that the wall is illegal, despite UN resolutions, despite opposition among many of its own citizens and calls to withdraw coming from countries, organizations — yes, even unions — around the world, Israel persists in policies that punish all Palestinians. So, frustrated like so many millions who support a negotiated and just peace in the Middle East, CUPE members exercised their right to introduce policy resolutions to their Ontario division convention. Support for Sanctions from Israelis As Israelis we express our support of the CUPE boycott of Israel, honour your courageous initiative, and fervently hope that it will set an example for many others to follow. We assure CUPE that it is no more anti-Semitic to criticize and oppose Israeli government policies than it was anti-American to oppose the Vietnam war, or is anti-Canadian to oppose the present war in Afghanistan.
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