By Rebecca Anderson
NINE MONTHS into Israel’s genocidal attack on Gaza, the solidarity movement here in Britain has demonstrated incredible commitment and stamina. The movement has won over the majority to the Palestinian cause. Yet apart from some small victories, like forcing a mealy-mouthed change of line from the Labour Party and the closure of some Elbit factories, we have struggled to achieve tangible results.
To stop arms sales to Israel and force the new Labour government to demand Israel immediately and unconditionally ends its war on Gaza, we must set our goals and work together to achieve them. So much of what we must do requires national, coordinated organisation that reaches beyond the boundaries of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign or Stop the War.
A national assembly of the pro-Palestine campaigns and organisations would be an important first step. Like the Berlin Palestine Congress held earlier this year, we could use a national event to bring the movement together to discuss and decide a strategy and use our collective strength to implement it.
To this end, Workers Power members proposed an initiative to Leeds Palestine Solidarity Campaign—an open letter to the movement. Its purpose is to call on all national and local pro-Palestine organisations, including trade unions, to support a national assembly.
This is aimed not only at PSC and StW, but also local campaigns, which have mushroomed, and the more militant groups, like Palestine Action and Workers for a Free Palestine. Our hope is that we can isolate and narrow any differences through democratic debate and decision-making.
Since then, PSC has called a national gathering of the divestment movement. However, this conference is called on a narrower, tactical issue and is due to take place in August, when many are on holiday. But insofar as it demonstrates the appetite for national coordination and provides an opportunity to bring together activists from across the country to learn from each other’s experience and agree common BDS action, it is welcome.
We hope that the Leeds PSC call for a national assembly for Palestine will go even further, uniting the whole Palestine movement around a strategy of solidarity. Already we have received several positive replies. We call on readers to take this open letter to your local Palestine group and trade union branch and raise the call for a national assembly.
