BDS Victory: Oxford City Council Passes Motion Supporting BDS Movement Against Israel
Oxford (Quds News Network)- The Oxford City Council has unanimously approved a motion in support of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. citing International Court of Justice (ICJ) rulings.
The motion resolves to call for Oxfordshire Pension Fund to divest £157+ million from companies complicit in Israel’s regime of settler colonialism, occupation, apartheid and genocide, end trade and investment relations and cooperation with companies complicit in violations of human rights and international law and encourage local businesses and institutions to follow suit.
The motion is the culmination of many months of campaigning by Oxford residents, students, trade unionists and health workers in solidarity with Palestine, according to Oxford Action for Palestine.
In January last year, the ICJ delivered an interim ruling saying that it was plausible that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza. The court called on Israel to refrain from impeding the delivery of aid into Gaza. It also ordered Israel to take all measures within its power to prevent acts of genocide in the besieged enclave and to punish incitement to genocide, amongst other orders.
On Monday, Oxford councillor Hosnieh Djafari-Marbini said councillors had “unanimously passed a boycott and divestment motion citing the ICJ rulings on Palestine”.
“This is a first step in divesting from settler colonial genocide, occupation and apartheid in pensions, investments and procurement inc in banking with Barclays,” Djafari-Marbini wrote on X.
“We will keep building the movement for the divestment of institutional investments/pensions from companies complicit in war crimes. We will dismantle Israeli impunity.”
Councillor Barbara Coyne, who proposed the motion, said: “I hope this motion will be thoroughly implemented, and that its passage may pave the way for other councils to take decisive action.”
The BDS movement was founded in 2005 as a means of non-violently pressuring Israel to comply with its obligations under international law.
On March 18, Israel renewed its assault on the Gaza Strip and last week launched a new ground invasion across the enclave. More than 830 people have been killed since Israel resumed bombardments, including 322 children and 174 women, bringing the total death toll since the war started on 7 October 2023 to 50,183.
On March 1, Israel closed all crossings leading to Gaza, blocking the entry of all humanitarian aid, including food, fuel, and medicine, worsening the unfolding humanitarian crisis.
