The Congress of South African Trade Unions COSATU stands in full and unwavering solidarity with people the of Palestine against the oppression of its people by Israel. This principled call is part of a broader international campaign to isolate the Israeli apartheid regime for its ongoing war crimes and genocidal acts against the Palestinian people.

Today, the 16th of June, is not just another date on the calendar. It marks the day in 1976 when South African youth rose up against apartheid, against an unjust system that saw Black lives as disposable, that criminalised our language, our dignity, and our freedom. They were met with bullets. Many were killed. But they sparked a fire that helped bring down the apartheid regime.

Today, almost 50 years later, we gather in Bonn, standing with a new generation of youth, Palestinian youth, Sudanese, Congolese, Brazilian, Indigenous and working-class youth, who are also rising, also bleeding, also demanding freedom and justice.

Comrades, as COSATU, we are not neutral. We have seen apartheid before. We fought it. We buried our martyrs and we marched in our millions to demand sanctions, boycotts, and international isolation for the South African regime. And now we see it again , in the occupation, the bombings, the checkpoints, the walls, the ethnic cleansing, the forced displacements in Palestine.

That is why we proudly stand with the international campaign to isolate the Israeli apartheid regime, to hold it accountable for war crimes and genocidal acts committed daily against the Palestinian people.

South Africa, as a country and through its government, has taken a clear and firm stance against the atrocities committed by Israel. The historic case brought by South Africa before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Israel for acts of genocide reflects our country’s long-standing commitment to international justice and human rights. The ICJ has taken this matter seriously, and the evidence presented underscores the urgency of global action. The ICJ has made it clear: There is a plausible case of genocide.This cannot be ignored. The blood of Gaza is not hidden; it is televised, it is documented, it is undeniable.

COSATU fully welcomes the judgements, however law alone is not enough. The people must act. Movements must rise. And that is why we are here.

We say that the genocide and occupation must come to and, there cannot be climate justice under occupation, that would not be Just. We must be clear that climate justice cannot be separated from political justice.

• How can we speak of sustainability while fighter jets, funded by fossil fuel interests, turn Gaza into rubble?
• How can we talk about net-zero while Indigenous land is stolen and destroyed for imperialist profit?
• How can we allow the same global powers who fuel wars and military occupations to now lead the conversation on the climate?

As COSATU, we support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign, not just as a symbolic gesture, but as a practical tool to apply pressure where it hurts: on the economy of occupation.

We call for:

• Divestment from Israeli companies complicit in war crimes.
• The end of all trade and diplomatic relations with apartheid Israel, just as the world once did with apartheid South Africa.

As COSATU, we will never stop fighting, for a free Palestine, for climate justice, for worker power, for socialism. We have consistently supported the Palestinian struggle and championed campaigns calling for the boycott, divestment, and sanctions against the Israeli regime. Our call to boycott Israeli goods is rooted in our broader commitment to international solidarity, justice, and the fight against all forms of oppression.

Just as the international community boycotted apartheid South Africa to pressure an end to racial injustice, so too must Israel face the same global isolation for its crimes against humanity.

COSATU remains committed to the fight for a free Palestine and will continue to support efforts that hold the Israeli state accountable for its actions.

Viva international solidarity
Viva Palestine
No climate justice under occupation

Aluta Continua