Foreign Affairs

Union Bosses Bicker Over Israel-Hamas Conflict: REPORT

No featured image available

A group of top union leaders argued about what should be done in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in a meeting Monday, according to The New York Times.

Members of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) executive council, including President of the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) Mark Dimondstein, argued on Monday about a solution to the ongoing conflict in Israel, according to the NYT. Hamas has perpetrated a series of terrorist attacks starting on Oct. 7 against Israel, leading to a conflict between the two states and a renewed war in the region.

“There can be no justification for the unspeakable atrocities and carnage carried out by Hamas against Israelis over the past several days,” the AFL-CIO said in a statement on Oct. 11. “The labor movement condemns and stands resolute against all terrorism, and we are concerned about the emerging humanitarian crisis that is affecting Palestinians in Gaza and throughout the region. We call for a swift resolution to the current conflict to end the bloodshed of innocent civilians, and to promote a just and long-lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.”

Dimondstein, who described himself as an “anti-Zionist Jew” during his 30-minute anti-Israel monologue at the meeting, proclaimed his support for combining Israel and the Palestinian territories into a single state, with no other member of the executive council voicing their support for his solution, according to the NYT. He also called for the AFL-CIO to release a statement calling for a cease-fire between the two combatants.

The leader of another prominent union, Randi Weingarten, who is the president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and is married to a rabbi, voiced her support for Israel’s right to defend itself but also backed an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel, according to the NYT. “That has been part of the Democratic platform for as long as I can remember,” Weingarten said about supporting an independent Israel.

Dimondstein retorted that he was “not part of the Democratic Party,” according to the NYT.

The AFL-CIO, AFT and APWU did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.