As the Israeli state’s brutal onslaught on the people of Gaza escalates, the need for a mass anti-war movement against imperialism, occupation and capitalism is more urgent than ever. 

Socialist Alternative has compiled these resources together to assist trade unionists, students and all those who are building for Palestine solidarity protests to use. 

If you would like to move any of these model motions, please get in touch with us at info@socialistalternative.net.

If you would like to learn more about getting involved with Socialist Alternative, click here!

Read more:

• Website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages of Socialist Struggle Movement – International Socialist Alternative’s sister organisation in Israel-Palestine.
• “Amid normalisation of occupation and siege, new war erupts” – Recent statement from Socialist Struggle Movement
• “The Marxist left, the national conflict and the Palestinian struggle” – From 2016, outlining ISA’s  Marxist position on the conflict
• “The Oslo Accords” – From 1993
• “75 years since the Nakba” – From this year, on the mass expulsions which led to the creation of the State of Israel
• “General strike against Netanyahu and far-right amid historic political crisis” – From this year, on the mass movement in Israel against Netanyahu’s judicial coup

Model motion: Solidarity against the witch hunt of Palestinian students and anti-war activists from Israeli universities

This body notes:

1. The two million residents of Gaza have lived under siege for the last 17 years, enforced by both the Israeli regime in collaboration with the Egyptian one. Bloody war is now being reaped on the whole population of Gaza by the Israeli regime as a collective punishment for the indiscriminate Hamas attacks in Israel on 7 October. There is constant, widescale, bombing of hospitals, schools and residential areas. The death toll, which includes people from all communities, on both sides of the fence, is already many thousands. A complete siege has been instigated, cutting off food, water, fuel and electricity. The government of Israel has sought to dehumanise Palestinians by referring to them as “human animals”, preparing the ground for more slaughter. 
2. The Israeli state is conducting a conscious campaign to use this situation to widen the nationalist divide. This is reflected on Israeli social media, which is flooded with nationalist incitement. 
3. In this context, the managements of Israeli academic institutions, as well as heads of various student unions in Israel, are now playing a destructive role, propelling a nationalist witch hunt campaign. So far, hundreds of students and lecturers have been added to McCarthyist watchlists that demand — first and foremost, of the Arab-Palestinian community – no criticism of the Israeli state’s bloody actions.
4. In some student unions, right-wing activists are demanding that Palestinian students face ‘loyalty’ tests for the government’s actions: if they don’t actively support the war in Gaza, they are classified as ‘terrorist supporters’.
5. There is no action taken against some right-wing students who have made calls to ‘flatten Gaza’.  
6. Socialist Struggle Movement and Academia for Equality have initiated a protest letter against the witch hunts to the Council for Higher Education in Israel, which has hundreds of signatures.

This body believes: 

1. It is essential that we build an international movement, including inside Israel, against the air strikes, bombing and the planned ground invasion of Gaza which will result in many thousands more deaths and injuries. This will not bring peace and security to the region but will just lead to more destruction and death.
2. The aim of these witch hunts on campuses is to weaken the prospects of building such a movement. 
3. Political persecution on campus is only going to deepen incidents of racism and discrimination, increase the lack of personal safety and security of students who are forced to study under a McCarthyist eye, and weaken the freedom of expression that is necessary for academic activity. 
4. Against the backdrop of the horrors of the war, it is particularly important students and staff take a clear stance against racism and the witch hunt, as well as insist they have the right to criticise the government, together with the right to oppose the war.
5. Solidarity with the fight for Palestinian liberation does not equate to support for Hamas, or for violence against Israeli civilians or Jewish people anywhere. We strongly oppose anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and all forms of racism.

This body resolves to:

1. Write to Socialist Struggle Movement (info@socialism.org.il) and Academia for Equality (info@academia4equality.com) to express our support for their letter against the witch hunts 
2. Write a letter of protest to the Israeli Council for High Education (meida@che.org.il) calling on them to take action to stop the witch hunts
3. Publicise the issue and the campaign among our members and raise it on protest actions here in Britain
4. Write to the vice chancellor/head teacher of our own institution asking them to raise the issue with any Israeli education institutions involved in any collaboration with our own, and to encourage our members to do the same in their own work
5. Forward to other bodies of our organisation and the wider labour movement as appropriate and forward as an emergency motion to the next meeting of our national organisation’s national executive, calling upon them to adopt it

Model motion for trade union branches

1. This branch expresses its deep solidarity with Palestinian and Israeli civilians impacted by the ongoing events in Israel-Palestine.
2. We oppose the air strikes, bombing and the planned ground invasion of Gaza which will result in many thousands more deaths and injuries. This will not bring peace and security to the region but will just lead to more destruction and death.

This branch notes:

1. Gaza continues to be the world’s biggest open air prison, with over 2 million people living under constant blockade by Israel and Egypt. This has reached new heights with the collective punishment by the Israeli state of the entire population with widescale bombing of hospitals, schools, residential areas and access to fuel being turned off. The government of Israel has sought to dehumanise Palestinians by referring to them as “human animals”, preparing the ground for more slaughter. 
2. The Tory government’s plans to attempt to limit peaceful protest and free speech on this issue. This is the same government that is making it harder for workers here to take strike action against the cost of living crisis. We oppose all attempts by employers, academic and educational institutions to ban campaigning against the slaughter. The Tories do not care for working class people here, in Palestine, or in Israel. We oppose the UK government (backed by the leader of the Opposition, Keir Starmer) giving a green light to the Israeli government to act with impunity and we oppose any military assistance or aid given for this war.
3. We note that the Labour Party has shamefully banned MPs and councillors from attending solidarity demonstrations, which must be staunchly opposed by the whole trade union movement.

This branch believes: 

1. We have to look at the root causes of the conflict. Prior to this escalation, 2023 had already been one of the deadliest years for Palestinians living under Occupation in the West Bank, with increased settler violence against Palestinians, increased administrative detentions and home evictions.
2. We oppose the air strikes, bombing and the planned ground invasion of Gaza which will result in many thousands more deaths and injuries. This will not bring peace and security to the region but will just lead to more destruction and death.
3. We oppose education institutions within Israel expelling Palestinian students and anti-war activists from their courses.
4. Solidarity with the fight for Palestinian liberation does not equate to support for Hamas, or for violence against Israeli civilians or Jewish people here in Britain. We strongly oppose anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and all forms of racism.
5. We support the call of 16.10.23 from Palestinian trade union organisations to oppose and to not comply with the war machine and believe that our movement internationally has the power and the responsibility to stop this war.
6. We stand for the rights and self determination of all national groupings, Palestinian and Israeli. Ultimately, the ruling establishment of Israel, and the surrounding states in the Middle East, have no desire for, or path to peace, they help perpetuate the continuing violence. We support a movement of ordinary Palestinians and Israelis on both sides of the national divide and of the masses across the region to challenge the system that maintains this nightmare; to fight for an end to the occupation, siege and all oppression and exploitation and in support of equality, rights, peace and security for all.

This branch resolves to:

• Publicise and call on members to join protests in solidarity with the Palestinian people, against the war, occupation, siege of Gaza and further escalation.
• Publicise the call from trade union organisations in Palestine to oppose and campaign against the Israeli war machine and seek to forge stronger links with unions opposing the war and in support of workers rights.
• Ensure that employers covered by the branch are supporting our members impacted by this crisis.
• Continue and step up our solidarity work on this issue including circulation of union educational material to our members and activists.
• Send this motion to relevant union bodies and to publicise it to our members through the usual channels.

Model motion for education unions and student organisations: Defend freedom of speech and protest in solidarity with Palestine

This body notes that:

1. The two million residents of Gaza have lived under siege for the last 17 years, enforced by both the Israeli and Egyptian regimes.
2. Bloody war is now being reaped on the whole population of Gaza by the Israeli regime as a collective punishment for the indiscriminate Hamas attacks in Israel on 7 October.
3. The death toll, which includes people from all communities, on both sides of the fence, is already in the thousands. A complete siege of Gaza has been instigated, cutting off food, water, fuel and electricity.
4. The UK government has moved to prevent solidarity with Palestine, with Suella Braverman claiming that the waving of a Palestinian flag may be treated as a criminal offence. Education Ministers Gillian Keegan and Robert Halfon have called on universities to “act swiftly and decisively” against students perceived to be “explicitly or implicitly supporting Hamas.”
5. In this context, a witch-hunt has been carried out at a number of universities, targeted at students showing their solidarity with the Palestinian people. UCL Student Union has suppressed groups campaigning against the siege and occupation, suspending one society for refusing to take down posters advertising a meeting to discuss the war, and removing advertisements for meetings on this issue from the SU ‘what’s on’ page. Similar actions have since been taken by the SU at SOAS, with more likely to follow.

This body believes that:

1. The main victims of war are always the working class and poor, with a particular impact on marginalised minorities, women and children.
2. Israeli capitalism, with its huge military power, carries out state terrorism by enforcing occupation, annexation, ethnic cleansing and denying millions of basic rights, including the right to self-determination.
3. Universities should be a place of democratic debate, freedom of speech and freedom of protest are essential
4. International solidarity with all those facing war and oppression is an essential and longstanding tradition amongst students and education workers
5. Solidarity with the fight for Palestinian liberation does not equate to support for Hamas, or for violence against Israeli civilians or Jews here in Britain.

This body agrees to:

1. Produce a public solidarity statement with students and student groups speaking out against the occupation on our branch social media and circulate to members, encouraging them to share it
2. Send a message of protest to UCL Students Union, calling on them to take a stand against the government’s attacks on free speech
3. Encourage its members to attend protests in solidarity with the Palestinian people
4. Forward this motion to other bodies of our organisation and the wider labour movement, as appropriate.