Backlash Defense Overview

Labor Notes

IJAN-Labor participated in two Labor for Palestine BDS workshops at the LaborNotes conference in Detroit. The April 23 session, attended by thirty people,was addressed by Elias Al Jelda (PGFTU-Gaza), Hasan Newash (US PalestinianCommunity Network), Katherine Nastovski (CUPE-Ontario; Labour forPalestine-Canada) and Michael Letwin (Labor for Palestine-U.S.; IJAN-Labor). OnApril 24, twenty people reconvened for a follow-up strategy session that agreedto support BDS through local efforts; a U.S. speaking tour by Palestinian,South African and/or Irish trade unionists; and a LFP-U.S. national organizingconference in 2011. Coverage of these sessions is posted at: http://rustbeltradical.wordpress.com/2010/04/28/labor-notes-conference-unions-and-palestine/and http://palestinevideo.blogspot.com/2010/04/labor-for-palestine-canadaus-report.html

Irish Congress of Trade Unions BDS Conference

On April 15, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) held a conference atDublin Castle to implement the ICTU's 2009 BDS resolution. Invitedinternational panelists included Omar Barghouti (PACBI), Mary-Jo Nadeau (Labourfor Palestine-Canada), and Michael Letwin (IJAN-Labor and Labor forPalestine-U.S.), all of whom opposed anti-BDS speakers from the Histadrut andJewish Labor Committee. For this meeting, IJAN-Labor and LFP-U.S. also producedbriefing papers on the role of the Histadrut and the Jewish Labor Committee;these are posted at: http://www.laborforpalestine.net/wp/2010/06/15/important-new-lfpijan-briefings-on-histadrut-and-jewish-labor-committee/.David Landy, a leading Irish BDS activist, described the conference as"one of the most significant events yet in Palestinian solidarity work inIreland." His complete report is posted at: http://jewssansfrontieres.blogspot.com/2010/04/irish-trade-union-solidarity-with.html

Briefings on the Jewish Labor Council as well as on Labor Zionism and the Histadrut are available to read and download by clicking on "read more".

Messages of Support and Solidarity in Response to Survivors’ and Descendents’ Letter

IJAN has received a flood of responses to the letter condemning Israel's genocide of Palestinians, which ran in the New York Times August 23rd. The letter was signed by 40 survivors of the Nazi genocide and 287 descendants of survivors and victims. Below are some of the personal messages of support and solidarity that IJAN ...