The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) has condemned the overnight decision by Israel to attack Iran, saying it will lead to wider instability in the Middle East.
The labour federation says the attack will also lead to a catastrophic war by the entire world.
According to the federation, the act of aggression is not an isolated act but a direct consequence of decades of U.S. imperialism, which arms, funds, and emboldens Israel’s apartheid regime to carry out genocide, destabilize the region, and secure Western corporate control over Middle Eastern resources.
It made this comment after Israel struck Iranian nuclear sites, prompting the Islamic republic to vow that it would respond swiftly to the attack it said it did not initiate.
“Israel’s aggression extends beyond Palestine. Its recent strikes on Lebanon’s Hezbollah, threats against Iran, and historical attacks on neighbouring states (Egypt, Syria, Iraq) are part of a U.S.-backed strategy to break resistance to Western domination. The bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities is not about “security” but about ensuring no regional power challenges U.S.-Israeli hegemony. The escalation continues with the recent bombing of Iran, a flagrant disregard for international borders and sovereignty,” SAFTU said.
It added that Israel is the fourth-strongest military power in the world, owes its destructive might to the United States of America, which provides it with $3.8 billion annually in military aid —the largest such package to any country.
This aid represents about 15–16% of the entirety of the Israeli war machine – part of a $38 billion Memorandum of Understanding spanning from 2019 to 2028. These funds supply Israel with the most advanced weapons, including F-35 fighter jets, precision-guided bombs, and missile defence systems, turning it into an extension of U.S. imperialist aggression.
“Thanks to this backing—and the joint development of Iron Dome, among other systems—Israel now fields one of the world’s most advanced militaries.These weapons have been used to commit genocide in Gaza— with over 50,000 Palestinians killed, including thousands of children, schools and universities bombed, mosques and churches targeted on religious holidays, and a deliberate policy of starvation through siege.
“The destruction is not collateral damage but a calculated campaign of ethnic cleansing to annex Palestinian land, as evidenced by Israel’s illegal settlements and recent moves to seize the Philadelphi Corridor,” it added.
