BELFAST City Council has voted for a package of pro-Palestinian actions following a heated debate.
On Wednesday evening, 30 of the 60 elected councillors at Belfast City Hall voted in favour of a Sinn Féin motion urging a host of measures displaying Belfast’s “solidarity and support” for the Palestinian people.
Among the measures passed in the original motion are calls for the withdrawal of diplomatic status from the Israeli ambassador to Ireland, a call for immediate ceasefires, and a call upon the UN to “dismantle Israel’s apartheid systems”.
Sinn Féin added an amendment to the motion calling for the Irish and UK governments to support an investigation by the International Criminal Court into war crimes in Palestine.
Sinn Féin accepted Alliance proposals to call for the end of the Israeli occupation and blockade of Gaza, to call for Israel to “dismantle the systematic system of discrimination against Palestinians in Israel and occupied Palestinian territories”, and to call for Palestinian statehood via the “two-state solution”.
Sinn Féin further accepted People Before Profit (PBP) proposals in its motion, on the council supporting demands to boycott, divest, and sanction Israel; for the council to host a meeting of trade unionists over the situation in the Middle-East; to write to Queen’s University to ask them to rescind the position of Hilary Clinton as Chancellor; and to refuse to host US diplomats such as Joe Kennedy in Belfast City Hall.
Read more:Why republicans and loyalists support different sides in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict
Sinn Féin also accepted an SDLP proposal to reinstall the Christmas charity collection box in City Hall to collect donations for medical aid to Palestine.
The new measures were incorporated into the original motion, and voted through with 30 votes from Sinn Féin, the SDLP, the Green Party and PBP.
Sixteen DUP, UUP and TUV members voted against the motion, while nine Alliance councillors abstained.
Full amendments made by Alliance and People Before Profit were voted down. Alliance councillors said they could not support the dismissal of the Israeli ambassador, while a PBP proposal calling for the Irish government to refuse to allow US troops to pass through Shannon Airport were not accepted by Sinn Féin.
TUV councillor Ron McDowell tried to stop the debate by using a council standing order which states: “Every notice of motion shall be relevant to some matter in relation to which the council has powers or duties, or which directly affects the city and its citizens.”
However, Sinn Féin Lord Mayor Ryan Murphy dismissed this, stating: “There are a number of Palestinians living in the city. I think it is fairly relevant, and we are going to go ahead.”
Alliance councillor Jenna Maghie told the chamber: “It is my belief that we have gotten as far into the ceasefire through dialogue, and like it or not, dialogue is what ambassadors do - which is why I and my party think it is not time to call for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador to Ireland.
“The ceasefire did not happen without diplomacy. Hostages were not released without diplomacy. The ceasefire only continues with people talking to Israel, and I believe Ireland should be part of that dialogue.
She added: "I also think it is an inconsistent position for this council. We haven’t called for the expulsion of the Russian ambassador after the invasion of Ukraine or the Chinese ambassador over their treatment of Uighurs.”
The DUP's Sarah Bunting said: “We absolutely send our sympathy to all those innocent people caught up in this war on both sides, but Israel has the right to defend itself, and this war began on October 7th when Hamas attacked.
“We requested that City Hall be lit up in solidarity with those Israeli people the day after. It was denied twice – no special meetings, no words of solidarity from the majority of those in this chamber for the people of Israel. We do not support this motion, we do not support the two amendments, and we stand in solidarity with the Jewish people in Belfast.”
DUP Alderman Dean McCullough said: “Israel is not an occupying power, in spite of the attempt at historical revisionism tonight. I rise in opposition to this motion, and I imagine the Israeli war cabinet is watching this webcast live from the Knesset.
“I say that as of course it will have no impact in Israel – none. However it will have an adverse impact on community relations across this city.”
PBP's Michael Collins said: “The attempts by the DUP to revise history and rewrite 75 years of ethnic cleansing is frankly appalling and abhorrent, and really shows that ignorance really has no limits.”
UUP Alderman Jim Rodgers said: “Let’s face it, what has been happening has really nothing to do with us. We have our own problems, we have many, and it is rather sad that people try to point-score on an issue such as this.”
Sinn Féin's Ciaran Beattie, who proposed the original motion, said: “I am not surprised unionists don’t support this motion. Unionists have a history of supporting apartheid states, they supported apartheid in South Africa, for more reasons than one, and innocent people here felt that pain.”
He added: “We want to give as a collective message from this council, that we as a city are compassionate, that we will stand up to the wrongs of the world.”
