Newham councillors have unanimously backed plans to investigate whether council workers pension funds are invested in companies linked to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories.
The move follows a long-running campaign by the Newham Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which has called on the authority to withdraw investments from firms it says are involved in the conflict in Gaza.
At a meeting on 13 July, councillors voted to launch an audit of the council’s pension fund investments and declared their intention to divest from companies found to be “complicit in human rights abuses, war crimes or illegal settlements”.
The resolution stated: “Council administered pension funds must not be used to fund the machinery of war, genocide, or military occupation.”
Campaigners gathered outside Newham Town Hall in East Ham ahead of the vote, urging councillors to support the proposal.
The motion was brought forward by opposition councillors from the Newham Independents and Green Party groups. It calls for an audit focused on identifying investments in arms manufacturers and companies considered by the United Nations Human Rights Office to be involved in violations of international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Green cllr Ibrahim Alom told the meeting that council employees should be confident their pensions reflect their values.
He said: “The pensions of Newham workers should not be used to fund the machinery of war, genocide and military occupation.”
Labour cllr John Gray said he supported the principle of the motion but proposed an amendment that any divestment should only take place if it would not negatively affect the pensions of current or future retirees.
His amendment was rejected after Newham Independents and Green councillors voted against it, while Labour members supported it.
The original motion was then approved unanimously by the council.
Earlier in the meeting, Labour Mayor Forhad Hussain said he intended to raise the Palestinian flag and invite the Palestinian ambassador to visit the borough.
Without directly naming Israel, he also said: “There must be an end to the genocide in Gaza.”
The audit will now examine the council’s pension fund portfolio to determine whether any investments fall within the categories outlined in the motion.
