British trade union leader calls on UK to suspend trade deal with Israel
Paul Nowak, the deputy general secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), an umbrella organisation for trade unions in England and Wales, has called Gaza a “humanitarian crisis which shames the world”.
“Thousands of starving civilians, women and children killed whilst queuing for food. Hospitals, aid workers, journalists deliberately targeted. Kids seeking clean water were attacked by the [Israeli military],” Nowak said during a keynote speech at an event in Brighton.
Nowak said human rights organisations “have been clear” that Netanyahu’s government is committing genocide in Gaza. He called on the UK government to suspend its trade deal with Israel and end arms licences and called for an immediate ceasefire and recognition of a Palestinian state.
UN human rights chief condemns ‘mass killing’ of Palestinians in Gaza
The UN high commissioner for human rights has condemned Israel for its “mass killing” of Palestinian civilians in Gaza and “hindering of sufficient lifesaving aid”, saying the country had a case to answer before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Volker Turk stopped short of describing the Gaza war as an unfolding genocide as hundreds of UN staff had urged him to do.
But in his opening address at a Human Rights Council session in Geneva, Turk expressed horror at what he called “the open use of genocidal rhetoric” and “disgraceful dehumanisation” of Palestinians by senior Israeli officials.
“Israel’s mass killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, its infliction of indescribable suffering and wholesale destruction, its hindering of sufficient lifesaving aid and the ensuing starvation of civilians, its killing of journalists and its commission of war crime upon war crime are shocking the conscience of the world,” Turk said.
“Israel has a case to answer before the International Court of Justice and the evidence continues to mount,” Turk said, referring to the ICJ’s ruling in January 2024 that Israel had a legal obligation to prevent acts of genocide.
Film workers pledge not to work with Israeli groups ‘implicated in genocide’
More than 2,000 actors and directors have signed a pledge not to work with Israeli film institutions “implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people”, inspired by a similar stance taken by filmmakers during apartheid in South Africa.
“We pledge not to screen films, appear at or otherwise work with Israeli film institutions – including festivals, cinemas, broadcasters and production companies – that are implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people,” the pledge reads.
Signatories said they recognised “the power of cinema to shape perceptions” and their responsibility in “this urgent moment of crisis, where many of our governments are enabling the carnage in Gaza.”
“Standing for equality, justice, and freedom for all people is a profound moral duty that none of us can ignore,” they added. Signatories include filmmakers Yorgos Lanthimos, Boots Riley and Joshua Oppenheimer, as well as actors Olivia Colman, Tilda Swinton and Rebecca Hall.
Building belonging to Israeli defence company targeted in Germany
Germany’s SWR radio reports that earlier today, perpetrators attacked a building belonging to the Israeli defence company Elbit Systems in Ulm with smoke bombs and paint bags.
Several graffiti marks were left behind, which suggest a political reference, police spokesperson Lisa Schroder told SWR. “There is a lot of evidence pointing to a left-wing extremist background. However, it is currently impossible to say what the focus is,” she said.
The company has experienced several protests in the past:
- In April, activists set up a protest camp at one of the arms manufacturer’s Ulm production sites. The action was directed against the use of products from the Israeli arms company Elbit Systems in Gaza.
- At the end of July, unknown individuals hung 30-metre-long banners on Ulm Minster bearing the words: “Elbit out of Ulm – Stop the genocide.”
- Most recently, around 30 activists protested in front of the Elbit Systems company premises at the beginning of August. They demanded the closure of all of the Israeli arms manufacturers’ locations in Germany.
