UNITE has joined the campaign to oppose Hewlett Packard’s (HP) complicity in the violation of Palestinian rights.

The union dropped the technology company over the weekend after passing a resolution in June to end the purchase of HP products and to replace existing ones.

HP equipment is used by Israel’s army and police and for the population database the country uses to enforce its system of racial segregation.

Unite member Joseph Bleach said: “Solidarity with the Palestinian freedom struggle is an essential part of building a just world.

“While Israel escalates its occupation, apartheid and colonisation against the Palestinian people, HP companies profiteer from this grave violation of international law and Palestinian human rights.

“Until HP companies end all such involvement in serious human rights violations, we shall continue to exclude them. Our trade union will continue to stand in solidarity with workers and struggles for justice in Palestine and globally.”

The Boycott HP campaign conducted a global week of action from July 10-15. International groups sent messages to the HP companies calling on them to fulfil their ethical and legal obligations to Palestinian victims.

Unite is among the growing number of trade unions joining the campaign — which is part of the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement — including the Netherlands’ largest union group, the Dutch Federation of Trade Unions.

Student organisations and churches have also supported the Boycott HP campaign.

A BDS national committee statement said that Palestinians, especially workers, are deeply grateful for Unite’s solidarity with their struggle for justice and liberation.

It said: “HP companies have long enabled Israel’s apartheid and criminal policies, and they need to be held accountable for this.”