RESOLUTION AGAINST H.R. 4681

WE, THE UNDERSIGNED TRADE UNIONISTS, PETITION OUR UNIONS AND THE SAN FRANCISCO LABOR COUNCIL TO ADOPT THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTION:

RESOLUTION AGAINST H.R. 4681

Whereas: House Resolution 4681 resolution, introduced after the recent Palestinian legislative election which resulted in a Hamas victory, goes far beyond reiterating the current U.S. ban on direct assistance to the Palestinian Authority; it also calls for many troubling provisions that would punish and isolate the Palestinian people for exercising their right to vote. The provisions include restricting US humanitarian aid; designating Palestinian territory as a "terrorist sanctuary" thus triggering restrictions on US exports; prohibiting official Palestinian diplomacy or representation in the United States in a way counter-productive to promoting dialogue and a just peace; reducing US dues to the United Nations because some of its bodies were created by the UN to advocate for Palestinian human rights; and denying Palestinians the ability to receive assistance through international financial institutions; and

Whereas: this unconstructive approach would only perpetuate the status quo of violence, military occupation, and human rights violations rather than promoting dialogue and a just, peaceful resolution to the conflict; and

Whereas: in just days, 135 or more local and national organizations - including the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, the American Friends Service Committee, the Episcopal Peace Fellowship, Jewish Voice for Peace, the Palestinian American Congress, Peace Action, Progressive Democrats of America, and United for Peace and Justice - have signed a letter to the House of Representatives opposing this resolution; and

Whereas: former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who monitored the Palestinian elections and deemed them free and fair, has urged the United States not to punish the Palestinian people for voting in good faith for the candidates of their choice; and

Whereas: the United States says that it is committed to promoting democracy, and if that is indeed the case, it is inappropriate for members of Congress to advance legislation that would punish and isolate people through draconian economic and diplomatic measures when the result of an election is not to the liking of the United States government; and

Whereas: we must remember that the U.S. Government also called the ANC a terrorist organization and Nelson Mandela a terrorist and refused to acknowledge or work with the ANC for many years, and eventually changed this view after pressure from the U.S. anti-Apartheid movement which included many labor organizations and others;

Therefore be it resolved that the San Francisco Labor Council, as an organization of conscience dedicated to promoting justice, joins other progressive forces in opposing HR Bill 4681, and will become a signatory to the letter urging our congressional representatives to vote NO on this draconian and counter-productive measure.