Call to trade unionists to express solidarity

Manama: The head of Bahrain's General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions has challenged the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) to reject all Israeli claims for its attacks on Gaza, saying that they were "absolutely unacceptable."

"We demand that the International Trade Union Confederation be clear and frank about the Zionist aggression and not accept the Zionist arguments that excuse all the barbarian destruction in Gaza in response to the Qassam missiles which are the minimum that the legitimate and patriotic resistance to the occupation ca do," Salman Al Mahfoudh told a pro-Gaza rally of workers in Manama.

Bahrain's trade unionists said that Arab labour activists should be vivacious and vociferous in their solidarity with the Palestinians and should promote international awareness about their plight.

However, the Brussels-based ITUC, representing 168 million workers in 316 affiliated national organisations from 157 countries, on Monday said that it has been assisting the Palestinians in Gaza and that its second shipment of humanitarian aid to Gaza that includes urgently-needed supplies provided from the ITUC solidarity appeal was due to arrive on Wednesday.

ITUC General Secretary Guy Ryder said that "urgent and large-scale humanitarian relief must be a priority for the international community, to help medical services cope with the thousands of wounded and enable people to begin to rebuild their shattered lives.

"Reconstruction of the thousands of destroyed and damaged buildings and other infrastructure needs to take place without delay, and the blockade of Gaza has to be lifted to allow its economy, already on its knees before the fighting, to develop...Guarantees of long-denied justice for Palestinians, and security for all in the region, will be critically important if real progress is to be made, and if the horrendous events of these last weeks of fighting are never to be repeated,'' Ryder said.

According to the ITUC, the first humanitarian flight was delivered on January 8 at Al Areesh airport on a plane made available by Royal Jordanian Airways. The cargo, including three ambulances, a range of medical supplies, milk for babies, rice, wheat and children's food, was distributed inside Gaza by the Red Crescent.

Bahrain Medical Society has offered five annual scholarships to Palestinians doctors "to help them overcome the formidable obstacles they have to face as they want to train for specializations."

The society has already donated a fully-equipped ambulance and dispatched doctors to help treat victims of the Israeli attacks.