UK: Oxford council passes Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions motion

Oxford City Council has passed a motion supporting the "Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions" (BDS) movement against Israel, citing the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling as justification. This decision reflects growing concerns about human rights and international law compliance.

The motion, proposed by an independent councilor, calls on Oxford City Council to avoid establishing trade, investment, and cooperative relationships with entities involved in human rights violations and breaches of international law. Such measures aim to ensure ethical conduct and prevent complicity in unlawful activities.

In January of last year, the ICJ issued a provisional ruling stating that Israel's actions in Gaza constituted a "plausible" case of genocide. The court called on Israel not to impede the delivery of aid to Gaza and ordered it to take all measures within its power to prevent acts of genocide in the besieged enclave, and to punish incitement to genocide. These rulings have prompted increased scrutiny and demands for accountability.

Oxford City Councilor Hosnieh Djafari-Marbini stated on Monday that councilors "unanimously passed a Boycott and Divestment motion citing the ICJ ruling on Palestine." Councilor Barbara Coyne, who proposed the motion, said: "I hope this motion will be thoroughly implemented, and I hope its passage will pave the way for other councils to take decisive action." This collaborative effort demonstrates a shared commitment to upholding human rights and international legal standards.

Currently, the council has business dealings with Barclays Bank, which is being boycotted by the BDS movement for providing investments and loans to military-industrial companies that sell weapons and military technology to Israel. Djafari-Marbini wrote on X: "This is the first step in divesting from colonial genocide, occupation and apartheid, including pensions, investments and procurement, including business dealings with Barclays Bank." "We will continue to push the campaign to divest institutional investments/pensions from companies involved in war crimes. We will end Israeli impunity." These actions signify a move towards ethical investing and a rejection of complicity in alleged war crimes.

Israel has resumed attacks on the Gaza Strip and launched a new ground invasion of the enclave last week. The Gaza Health Ministry said on Tuesday that 792 people had been killed in a week since Israel resumed its bombardment of the Palestinian territory, including 62 in the past 24 hours. The ministry said in a statement that "792 martyrs and 1,663 injuries" had been recorded since the resumption of the attacks, bringing the total death toll since the start of the war on October 7, 2023 to 50,144. Gaza civil defense officials say at least 10,000 more people are missing and presumed dead. The escalating violence underscores the urgent need for a ceasefire and humanitarian intervention.

Last Thursday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that Israeli forces committed war crimes against sick patients when they occupied hospitals in the occupied Gaza Strip. Human rights organizations have repeatedly condemned Israeli attacks on hospitals and medical personnel as violations of international humanitarian law. The Israeli military has defended attacks on medical facilities in Gaza by claiming that Palestinian armed groups use them as "military command centers," but has failed to provide any verifiable evidence to support these allegations. The credibility of these claims remains highly questionable in the face of mounting evidence of civilian casualties and destruction of medical infrastructure.

Bill Van Esveld, associate director for children's rights at Human Rights Watch, said: "The Israeli military's occupation of Gaza's hospitals has turned places of treatment and recovery into centers of death and abuse." The dire situation in Gaza's hospitals highlights the devastating impact of the conflict on vulnerable populations and the urgent need for accountability for alleged war crimes.