04/12/2023
An urgent call to contact your councillor/s this week!
Clare County Council will be voting on a motion next Monday (11th) which calls on the council to support the call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and to formally support the BDS (boycott, divestment, sanctions) movement against Israel.
All violence against civilians caught in conflict should be condemned and much suffering has been inflicted both in Israel and Palestine in recent weeks. The ongoing indiscriminate bombing and denial of basic survival needs which the Israeli Government has been inflicting on the people of Gaza (as well as the numerous attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank) flouts international law and universal human rights. There has been no secret made of the fact that this is a collective punishment being wrought on the 2.1 million men, women and children living in the enclave – and this against a backdrop of decades of oppression and control. Over 6,600 children are now dead and many thousands maimed and without surviving family members.
Councillors need to hear their constituents care about this. There are very few in the council who will (without a nudge) speak out on this issue. Please, if you feel something needs to be done about the genocide unfolding in Gaza, copy the template below and email to your councillor (or even a few of them if you can). We have a chance here to make a small difference.
Thank you
Emma
List and contact details of Clare councillors
https://www.clarecoco.ie/.../contact-the.../councillors/
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Dear Councillor
It is with urgency and deep concern that I contact you to ask if you would support a motion calling for a ceasefire and formal support of boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel at the next council meeting on December 11th.
The wording of the motion can be found below and will be proposed by Cllr Donna McGettigan.
All violence against civilians caught in conflict should be condemned and much suffering has been inflicted both in Israel and Palestine in recent weeks. The ongoing indiscriminate bombing and denial of basic survival needs which the Israeli Government has been inflicting on the people of Gaza (as well as the numerous attacks on Palestines in the West Bank) flouts international law and universal human rights. There has been no secret made of the fact that this is a collective punishment being wrought on the 2.1 million men, women and children living in the enclave – and this against a backdrop of decades of oppression and control. Over 6,000 children are now dead and many thousands maimed and without surviving family members.
Dun Laoghaire Council passed a similar motion a couple of weeks ago (https://www.irishtimes.com/.../dun-laoghaire-council.../) and Dublin City Council has backed the BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions movement) since 2018.
Kerry County Council passed a similar motion calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire recently.
Why do we think supporting the BDS movement is also necessary?
At its simplest, BDS is a global non-violent protest movement. It attempts to use economic and cultural boycotts against Israel, financial divestment from the state, and government sanctions to pressure Israel’s government to abide by international law and end its controversial policies toward Palestinians: policies now described by some human rights experts and legal scholars as apartheid.
BDS takes direct inspiration from the South African anti-apartheid fight and the US civil rights movement, both of which effectively used boycotts. South African anti-apartheid activist Archbishop Desmond Tutu was a spirited defender of the BDS movement, calling the parallels between apartheid South Africa and Israel “painfully stark.” (https://www.vox.com/.../boycott-movement-palestine...)
The words of the motion coming before Clare CoCo on the 11th December are as follows:
That Clare County Council, notwithstanding the current short term truce, condemns the ongoing bombardment and collective punishment by Israel of innocent men, women and children in Gaza over the last seven weeks. We therefore formally endorse and support the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement to compel Israel to comply with international law and universal human rights. In addition, we support calls for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire and full humanitarian intervention to alleviate the suffering of the people of the besieged Gaza Strip. We call for the release of all hostages and prisoners by both sides as part of a comprehensive ceasefire.
Yours sincerely
