The president of the Jewish Labor Committee “expressed satisfaction” Monday with a declaration by the AFL-CIO on the Middle East that included criticism of Israeli handling of unrest in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
Israel “will continue to receive the support of democratic institutions in the United States — the prime example being the American trade union movement,” explained labor committee president Herb Magidson in a statement.
The AFL-CIO statement, delivered Feb. 16 by its executive council at the annual convention in Bal Harbour, Fla., criticized Israel for using “unnecessary force” against rioting Palestinians.
But despite the rare criticism of Israel by the AFL-CIO, most of the three-page document supported the Jewish state and blamed Arab intransigence for the situation in the territories.
The AFL-CIO took especially strong exception to what it said was a “view, fomented by sensationalized media accounts,” that Israel has lost its “moral bearings” or bears comparison to South Africa.
The AFL-CIO has traditionally been a strong supporter of Israel, which the statement noted is “a nation built by the trade union movement,” and has close ties with the Histadrut, Israel’s trade union federation.
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