Legal Notice Outlines Councils are Under an Obligation to Divest from Israel’s Crimes
Palestine Solidarity Campaign (UK) has issued a legal notice to every town council in England & Wales administering a Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) fund, outlining that they must take steps to divest from companies enabling and profiting from Israel’s genocide, military occupation and apartheid against Palestinians.
Moreover, the same obligation applies to all organs of the state bound by relevant treaties and peremptory norms of international law. The legal analysis also takes note of the “Namibia Doctrine,” which is the erga omnes obligations for all states and their organs not to engage in relationships and with parties that deny a people’s inalienable right to self-determination—HLRN.
Palestine Solidarity Campaign’s notice to the councils, written by legal experts, outlines that through its genocide in Gaza, its illegal military occupation of Palestinian land, and its imposition of a system of apartheid, Israel is in breach of the fundamental norms of international law.
The UK is under a legal obligation not to recognise or assist Israel in its grave violations of international law, and to do everything in its power to bring them to an end.
Local councils administering a pension fund must take immediate action to divest from companies enabling or profiting from Israel’s crimes, such as arms companies supplying Israel with weapons used in its genocide, and companies involved in the financing and construction of Israel’s illegal settlements on stolen Palestinian land. They must put in place policies to ensure no future investments can be made in these companies.
We’ve also written to Angela Rayner, the Secretary of State with responsibility for the LGPS, to outline that she too is under an obligation to produce guidance to administering authorities requiring an end to investments in companies which aid or assist in the commission of Israel’s grave violations of international law.
Palestinians are facing the most horrific violence right now, but they continue to be clear about what they want from the solidarity movement: escalate BDS campaigns NOW to force our institutions to stop aiding Israel’s genocide. We must continue to ramp up our divestment campaigning until all councils end all investments in companies enabling Israel’s atrocities.
Divestment from companies aiding Israel’s atrocities is not optional – it’s a legal obligation.
Resources:
See also:
Extraterritorial Human Rights Obligations of Local Government (2015)
Photo: Rally in front of Tower Hamlets Council, which voted on 22 January 2025 to divest its Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) fund from companies implicated in supporting Israel’s military actions against Palestinians. Source: Palestine News Network.
