Sheffield Greens welcomed members of the Tadhamon choir to their monthly meeting in March. They spoke about their recent trip to Palestine and sang for us.
The meeting unanimously passed two motions. The first committed Sheffield Green Party to support the Sheffield Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid. This is a coalition of organisations and individuals united to promote a city-wide response to Israel’s apartheid regime as happened in the 1980s when the people of Sheffield proudly joined the struggle against South African Apartheid.
The crime of apartheid involves creating and maintaining the systematic domination of one racial or ethnic group over another. Palestinian and international human rights organisations are agreed that apartheid is what is in evidence in the whole of historic Palestine. We support the Palestinian struggle against it and are campaigning for all Sheffield-based institutions and companies to sever any connection that gives support to Israel’s system of apartheid.
The second motion commits Sheffield Green Party to encourage Sheffield City Council to proceed with the town twinning arrangement with Nablus.
Green Party member and Tadhamon singer Heather Hunt said:
“The recently elected right-wing government in Israel has made explicit its intentions to extend the illegal settlements throughout Palestine and is stepping up its flagrant use of force to intimidate, hurt and kill Palestinians.
The Green Party has strong policies based on international law ensuring human rights for Palestinian and Israeli citizens. This includes support for the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions campaign.
Members of the Tadhamon choir shared their first-hand accounts illustrated with images and a few songs, from their recent visit to the West Bank. This vivid account stimulated discussion on ways Sheffield Green Party can go further in putting policies into practice in support of justice for Palestinians.”
More information about their visit is at https://socialistchoir.org. uk/tadhamon-singers/
Notes
Here are the resolutions.
Resolution 1: Proposed by Heather Hunt. Seconded by Cllr Alexi Dimond
Sheffield Green Party agrees to pledge support for the aims of the Sheffield Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid. The aims are as follows:
- Oppose all forms of racism. eg.racism against Black and minority ethnic groups, antisemitism and Islamophobia
- Raise Sheffield citizen’s awareness of the Palestinian people’s struggle against injustice imposed by Israeli apartheid, settler colonisation and occupation.
- Make Sheffield into an Israeli Apartheid Free Zone by campaigning for business, local governmental, educational, sporting and cultural institutions to renounce all ties that support the Israeli apartheid system in line with the Palestinian BDS campaign.
- Oppose the arm trade and all forms of military collaboration with Israel and call for the end of Israeli occupation and the siege of the Gaza Strip.
- Call for sanctions against Israel until it abides by all international laws and UN resolutions affecting the rights of Palestinians including the refugees’ right of return.
- Supports Palestinian grassroots organisations which promote equality for women, workers’ rights and the improvement of conditions for children.
- Encourage Palestinian cultural activity in Sheffield
- Oppose measures aimed at shutting down public criticism of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians.
Resolution 2. Proposed by Heather Hunt. Seconded by Cllr Alexi Dimond
Further to the invitation from the Mayor of Nablus to the Mayor of Sheffield in 2019, Sheffield Green Party will encourage and support further twinning arrangements with Nablus; be that formally with SCC and also through informal linking with educational and cultural organisations in both cities.
