Welsh campaigners urge disinvestment from Israel-linked firms
Martin Shipton
Pro-Palestine activists are frustrated that one of the largest local authorities in Wales has refused to debate a motion aimed at condemning Israel’s invasion of Gaza, withdrawing investments from firms that back the invasion and creating an “apartheid-free” zone locally.
The Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) branch of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) first submitted its motion in March, but for various reasons, including the council’s annual general meeting, the general election and a Labour group meeting getting in the way, the motion has yet to make it to the council chamber.
The council hasn’t explained why the motion can’t be debated at its July meeting either, and some councillors have been trying to secure an emergency debate.
Bureaucracy
Chair of RCT PSC, Andrew Draper, said: “It’s enormously frustrating that bureaucracy prevents locally elected councillors from debating and voting on one of the most urgent matters of the day: that of a genocide being perpetrated in Gaza by the Israeli state and its enablers.
With some 40,000 people dead and many still buried under the rubble, we would welcome a sense of urgency by RCT council.
“We appreciate the efforts of supportive councillors to get the motion debated and cannot understand why there is not more urgency from the council leadership to hold a debate. We had hoped an emergency business arrangement would have secured a few minutes of RCT councillors’ time at their July meeting.
“We will not give up on our efforts to have Palestinians’ voices heard in the council chamber. Our motion calls for the council to support calls for a ceasefire, for divestment of pension funds from companies complicit in genocide and for the setting up of an apartheid-free zone in RCT.”
The campaign is planning to lobby councillors on Wednesday July 17 from 3.30pm as they arrive for the full council meeting.
Human rights violations
Meanwhile the Newport branch of PSC has called on the city council to divest from pension fund investments linked to alleged human rights violations in Palestine.
The Greater Gwent Pension Fund, contributed to by all five councils in Gwent, is being criticised for its investments in companies accused of human rights abuses against Palestinians. Such investments are said to violate a UN-sanctioned list of companies benefitting from illegal settlements on Palestinian land.
A significant amount of the criticism targets the Gwent fund’s stake in arms companies, including investments in Elbit Systems, Israel’s leading arms manufacturer. Human Rights Watch has implicated Elbit in war crimes in Gaza.
The UN has also claimed arms companies may be complicit in War Crimes. This comes amid international condemnation – including from Holocaust scholars, UN officials, and various NGOs – of Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide. South Africa has pursued legal action against Israel in the International Court of Justice for violating the Genocide Convention. Recently, the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court began the process of issuing arrest warrants related to these allegations.
Elbit Systems is also said to be involved in producing banned weapons, such as weaponised white phosphorus and cluster bombs, heightening ethical concerns that activists believe demand urgent attention.
For more than a year, activists and members of the pension scheme have been urging Gwent council leaders to divest from these controversial holdings.
Decisive action
A spokesperson for Newport PSC said: “We urge our councillors to take decisive action and support divestment. Investments in Elbit Systems and ventures in the occupied Palestinian territories not only clash with public opinion but also violate international law and United Nations resolutions.
“It is imperative that the council divests from these holdings, which include investments in arms and settlements built on illegally seized Palestinian land. These investments contribute to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, perpetuated by political leaders and arms manufacturers. Our politicians and local councillors have the power to help end this atrocity by adopting a sustained and active stance against these war crimes.”
The Greater Gwent Pension Fund says it does not invest directly into Elbit Systems and the money is part of a pooled investment managed by Blackrock. The fund has launched a strategy to ‘level up’ its investment approach and ensure future investment within the UK.
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It is not the role of local government to debate international affairs. The best approach would be to get residents to write simple letters to their councillors about suitable ethical investment and to possibly set up a petition to ask for investment in non arms based companies. That said the world of finance is now so enmeshed that it is likely to be difficult to avoid all investment perceived as toxic.
“The council hasn’t explained why the motion can’t be debated at its July meeting either, and some councillors have been trying to secure an emergency debate.”
Perhaps because Gaza isn’t in Gwent ????
So is anyone going to hold Hamas to account for firing thousands of rockets at Israel, for being discriminatory against women and minorities ? No, thought not. Lets not forget some of the first people they killed during the October massacre were peace campaigners.
I don’t think there are many supporters in the UK let alone Wales. Many I hear against Israel’s way OTT response also call out hamas. But I do not expect there are many people with portfolio’s invested in hamas. If any.
Unfortunately, there are lots of Hamas supporters in Europe. They blatantly shout Hamas rhetoric in their anti Israel protests (e.g., from the River to the sea….). If supporting Hamas was not a crime (I’m glad it is a crime, of course), they would be even more vocal and open in their support. This is something we should be very worried about!
Well said!
Are they also calling for disinvestment from countries like Qatar and Iran, that have provided funding for the Hamas terrorists that have brutalised both Israelis and Palestinians?
Dreadful state of affairs in Gaza. Israel has much to answer for. Beats me why Hamas are not returning the hostages. Surely that would help.
In any event local councils should focus on local not international issues,
They’re not retuning the hostages because that would end this round of the conflict. They want the slaughter to continue in the hope that the world will eventually turn ten million Israelis into refugees.
Exactly. Human life means nothing to Hamas – or those who back them! They are evil, Islamist extremists who want to push their radical Islamist agenda. They are committed to the destruction of Israel, and have no desire for peace. They hate the Jews, Christians, moderate Muslims and anyone who does not kowtow to their vile ideals.
I hope and pray for peace and a two state solution for both sides, without any extremists.
But what does that two state solution look like? Until this question is answered nothing will change.
I agree with you, and I think that the two state solution must be achieved by negotiation, not violence. Israel needs security and Palestine needs a viable state. Unfortunately, there are too many obstacles at present, especially the funding of terrorism from Iran, Qatar etc. and the world wide anti-Israel movement, that is keeping the conflict going.
As Golda Meir said (I paraphrase): if the Palestinians put down their weapons, they would have a state, if Israel did so first, they would be destroyed.
Those are obstacles to the solution. But what does the solution look like? Too many focus on the obstacles which would disappear if the solution could be agreed that everyone (except those who don’t want peace) was happy with.
My starter for ten is for the global community pass the cap around and make Egypt an offer it can’t refuse for a chunk of Sinai to build New Palestine, that includes access to the Med and Red Sea. Israel must contribute an amount of land equivalent to that taken since 1967. The boundaries can then be negotiated.
anyone with any humanity on here? Is Genocide the new norm?
Agree 100%
To use a Tweet from someone else,
Did they call the death of 377,000+ Yemenis a ”genocide”? Nope
Did they call the death of 236,000+ Afghans a ”genocide”? Nein
Did they call the death of 5,400,000+ Congolese a ”genocide”? Nej
Did they call the death of 500,000+ Sudanese a ”genocide”? Nee
Did they call the death of 500,000+ Syrians a ”genocide”? لا
Did they call the death of 500,000+ Somalis a ”genocide”? 不
Did they call the death of 300,000+ Iraqis a ”genocide”? לא
Did they call the death of 50,000+ Libyans a ”genocide”? Нет
no, sorry to say, but those and others are I am sure.
Anyone who says Hamas is evil but thinks by comparison that Netanyahu and co. are pure as the driven snow either has psychopathic tendencies or is just plain stupid – and as they say – you can’t fix stupid. Genocide – documented this time – is well and truly genocide. No way should we be supporting it.
The current Israeli government is a right wing nightmare. But what would you have them do instead? If they pull out Hamas regroups and entrenches amongst the population as Gaza rebuilds, and continues to attack Israel on a daily basis.
It’s not clear how punishing ordinary Israelis is supposed to change anything. Is the hope to weaken them so they can be eliminated by their regional enemies?
Until the international community comes up with a plan where Palestinians have a home they can be proud of and Israelis can live without threat of attack, Israel has no option to continue to do whatever it takes to stay safe.
Very well said!