We Continue to Support the Fight for Democracy in Israel

Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), and president of the Jewish Labor Committee, and Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), made the following statement today:

“Today was a dark day for Israeli democracy. The push to topple democratic consensus in Israel by a right-wing, extreme government, must be challenged. We are heartened that the Israeli public is challenging them at home, and we pledge to do everything in our power to stand with the pro-democracy protesters and to protect democracy in Israel.

“As American trade union leaders and as Jewish activists who care deeply about Israel, we are saddened and sickened by the Netanyahu government’s frontal attack on democracy. Workers’ rights will never be guaranteed without true democracy and untethered courts.

“We believe that Israel’s future is dependent on equality of opportunity and democracy for all of its citizens—Jewish and Arab, religious and secular. We are gravely concerned about the damage to be done to civil and human rights in Israel by this decision—and the implications for further entrenching the occupation of the Palestinian people.

“We know that there is another vision for Israel, and we pledge to stand with all those who promote it. We urge all those who care about Israeli democracy—inside and outside of Israel—to join us in embracing and encouraging the movement for democracy in Israel.”