The General Federation of Palestinian Trade Unions welcomed the agreement reached to end the war on the Gaza Strip, which includes the withdrawal of the occupation forces, the entry of humanitarian aid, and the implementation of a prisoner exchange between both sides.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Federation expressed its support for President Mahmoud Abbas’s position, who from the very first moment called for an immediate end to the genocide, the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid to stop the famine in Gaza, the release of prisoners and hostages, and the establishment of international mechanisms to protect the Palestinian people.
The statement also called for halting unilateral Israeli measures that violate international law, releasing withheld Palestinian tax revenues, achieving a complete Israeli withdrawal, and unifying Palestinian lands and institutions in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as a step toward realizing the two-state solution and ending the occupation.
The Federation emphasized the importance of easing the severe restrictions on the movement of citizens between Palestinian governorates, including cities, villages, and towns, and removing more than 1,205 metal and electronic gates and checkpoints that hinder freedom of movement. It also stressed the necessity of facilitating the movement of workers and citizens throughout the various areas.
The statement further highlighted the importance of allowing Palestinian workers to return to their workplaces inside the occupied territories, ending the repeated violations against them, and releasing all detained workers.
The Federation also underscored the need for a tripartite meeting between the parties of production — the government represented by the Ministry of Labor, the workers represented by the General Federation of Palestinian Trade Unions, and the employers represented by the chambers of commerce and industry — under international supervision. The aim is to build an integrated economic system and develop programs that enable Palestinian workers in Gaza and the West Bank to work within their homeland, according to modern labor standards and technological developments. It also called for setting developmental plans to significantly reduce unemployment rates.
The General Federation praised the efforts of regional and international mediators who contributed to reaching this agreement, which ended an aggression that lasted for two years and resulted in the martyrdom of more than 70,000 Palestinians and the injury of about 198,000 others, in addition to massive and unprecedented destruction of infrastructure, homes, and facilities.
In conclusion, the General Federation of Palestinian Trade Unions expressed its pride in the steadfast and heroic resilience of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including Jerusalem, affirming that our people will remain steadfast on their land, committed to their legitimate national rights, and determined to move forward toward freedom and the establishment of their independent, sovereign state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
