Pressure on Israel

Letter published in The Scotsman, 5 June 2009

The Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) applauds the decision of the Edinburgh International Film Festival to return funding from the Israeli Embassy, and welcomes the intervention on this matter from British director Ken Loach (your report, 19 May). Standing up to the State of Israel is not "extremist", "sanctimonious" or "self glorifying".

Rather, it is about exposing the illegitimate actions of the Israeli government, for example in Gaza, in the continued construction of the separation wall, and in the growing settlement programme.

This year, I was part of an STUC delegation to Palestine and Israel. We saw and heard how the human rights of the people of Palestine are violated on a daily basis, and that Israel is in breach of the Geneva Conventions. Boycotting actions and sanctions are vital to bring political, economic and social pressure on Israel.

MARY SENIOR
Scottish Trades Union Congress
Woodlands Road, Glasgow