Histadrut Chairman Arnon Bar-David concluded his first official visit to the United States last week, building a historic new bridge between the labor union movements of Israel and the US. The visit included meetings with Vice President Kamala Harris, government officials, trade unions, labor organizations at the United Nations, Jewish organizations and Israeli delegates and representatives in the US.
The visit came from a desire to strengthen ties with partners in the labor world, including American leaders who asked to hear from the Histadrut chairman about the political situation in Israel.
Bar-David and his entourage began their visit in Washington. Upon arrival, they first met with Israeli ambassador to the US Michael Herzog, Israel's ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan, Acting Consul General Israel Nitzan, and Ministry of Defense representative Brigadier General Michel Ben Baruch. At the meeting, Bar-David was informed about the challenges facing Israeli representatives throughout the world, and in the US in particular.
Bar-David subsequently met with members of the American Congress, including Ro Khanna, Eric Swalwell, Dean Phillips and Donald Norcross. He also met with representatives of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a bipartisan, pro-Israel lobby. They discussed the socio-economic situation in Israel and ways to approach the economic challenges facing the state.
In addition, a meeting was held with Israeli workers at the Israeli embassy. Bar-David heard from them about the challenges and significance of their work in the US, and how the Histadrut can assist them in their work abroad. An assurance was made that the Histadrut would continue to represent them, fight for their rights, and do everything to promote and improve their employment conditions. Additionally, Bar-David recognised the significance of their work and the pride they bring to the position and security of the country.
A series of meetings were held with the International Labour Organization and the UN Women's Organization. At the meetings, Bar-David expressed the Histadrut's commitment to gender equality, equality at work and the need to strengthen the underprivileged in society in order to strengthen society as a whole. The parties also discussed the importance of the Histadrut's firm stance on the right to strike in Israel, and the basic right to unionize.
Bar-David said upon the conclusion of his visit: "I felt great pride to represent the members of the Histadrut in light of the current challenges in the State of Israel. I shared my feelings and thoughts with the other representatives and talked about the need to put the State of Israel back on the right track. I want to thank all the employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the defense delegation who helped in planning, scheduling the meetings and who supported and allowed my successful visit to come to fruition."
Additionally, Bar-David noted that in the Biden administration, he "found a listening ear and tremendous appreciation for our activities," and that "in a week full of highlights, it’s important to me to emphasize eight words that Vice President Kamala Harris said to me: 'Thank you for what you do for Israel.'"
This article was translated from Hebrew by Noah Mirkin.
