Israel’s trade union movement and the entire Israeli nation are eager to join hands with neighboring Arab countries to bring about peace in the Middle East region and to raise the living standards of the masses of people in the area, an Israeli representative today told the 48th session of the International Labor Conference, convened here by the International Labor Organization.
The ILO, a specialized agency of the United Nations, opened its conference with 1,500 delegates and advisers in attendance, and there was loud and prolonged applause when the offer of Israeli cooperation with Arab neighbors was voiced by the principal Israeli workers’ delegate, Mrs. Yehudit Simhoni. She is the head of the international department of Histadrut, Israel’s federation of labor.
Referring to current ILO proposals for broader regional cooperation, Mrs. Simhoni told the delegates: “Histadrut welcomes cooperation wherever possible and, in particular, in the Middle East. Action directed toward the improvement of the standard of living of workers in our region is an urgent necessity. The Israeli workers and the nation as a whole will readily join forces with our neighboring countries in constructive efforts for peace, freedom and human dignity, to which we are all committed.”
In he address, at a plenary session, Mrs. Simhoni also emphasized Israeli labor’s enthusiastic interest in aiding the workers and peoples as a whole in the newly developing nations “which are fighting ignorance, poverty and disease.” She mentioned specifically the need for aiding trade union movements in Africa, Asia and Latin America. She also welcomed the ILO’s initiative in expanding the role of women.
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