Palestine Solidarity Campaign Petition Goes Before Full Council

The local branch of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign has submitted its petition asking NCC to support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Campaign against Israel and to call upon the government to generally pressure Israel into obeying UN Resolutions and the Geneva Convention. The full text of the motion before the Council is as follows;

“We the undersigned request the City Council to undertake the following action:

To transparently work with Nottingham Palestine Solidarity Campaign to draw and pass a motion affirming its official support and calling upon the UK government to support the following against Israel until it complies with international laws:

1.  The “Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions” (BDS) campaign;

2.  An end to attacks against Palestine

3.  An end to Administrative Detention;

4.  An arms embargo.”

As with any petition/motion on an essentially national issue some will wonder why the council should bother; in fact expect Zionists to campaign against the motion on that very point, along with the usual empty accusations of anti-semitism. However, the agreement of the motion will send a strong message of support to the Palestinians and a further message to central government that the fate of Palestinians matters to people in Nottingham and that we can no longer sit on the sidelines as we have done up to now.

At the end of last year Leicester City Council agreed a motion condemning Israel's illegal occupation of Palestinian lands and resolving to boycott products from illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, to traditional furore. Nottingham's petition goes considerably further, asking for full adoption of the BDS campaign. This includes removal of any investments in Israel and a boycott of ALL Israeli goods, not just those from illegal West Bank settlements. In truth, this probably means the council is even less likely to agree to it.

NCC doesn't have a particularly good [recent*] record on condemning oppression abroad, enthusiastically lapping up Chinese investment despite the illegal occupation of Tibet. This past record would open the council up to charges of hypocrisy, with more justification than those faced by Leicester. 

I strongly recommend that you contact your local councillors and urge them to vote in favour of the motion.

*Addendum; back in 1984 Nottingham City Council DID have the political courage to agree a comprehensive policy to boycott and divest from South Africa, see p20 of this report.