First of all, I want to state my commitment to winning Palestinian self-determination, and freedom from occupation and genocide. It is something I myself am active on. My reasoning for opposing this part of the motion boils down to a question of tactics — how do we best achieve that.
I think it’s important to break down the tactics of the BDS movement, and to think seriously about which we want to adopt in the Green Party. There are elements of BDS that we should obviously support: sanctions on arms sale being a key one. But others — such as a wholesale consumer boycott or a refusal to work with anti-occupation anti-war Israelis on the ground, are a different matter entirely.
History shows us that consumer boycotts are simply not that effective. The anti-Apartheid boycott in South Africa — the key inspiration for BDS — lasted for three decades with very little impact. Apartheid was, in the end, defeated by a revolutionary uprising of the majority-Black South African working class. It is misleading to activists — it gives us the wrong lessons about how we win — if we pretend that the boycott had more influence than it. In the case of Israel, the economy relies even less on direct-to-consumer goods, and so a consumer boycott presents even less of a threat than it did in Apartheid South Africa.
Moreover, a blanket boycott, which fails to differentiate between settler goods produced in occupied Palestine, and goods produced in Israel, can, I believe, be actively counterproductive. There is a reason why Netanyahu and the other ghouls in government endlessly draw attention to even the smallest boycott actions; because it provides political grist for them, and they can use it to cultivate a siege mentality amongst the Israeli population. An aim of the Palestine solidarity movement should surely be to break the pro-occupation political consensus in Israel; I personally cannot see a route to Palestinian liberation that doesn’t involve a split in Israeli society and us winning over at least a substantial portion of the population to the idea of Palestinian freedom. Boycotts like this, of entire nations — of anything and everything Israeli, just fan the flames of nationalism.
On the BDS movement website, there are calls to boycott Standing Together, a joint Palestinian-Israeli co-resistance group in Israel. This is an organisation that supports and organises military refusal, whose activists confront and resist settler lynch mobs, who defend Palestinian communities in Israel. Right now, they are part of a coalition organising defence squads to protect the land of Palestinian farmers in the West Bank from settler groups seeking to destroy their crops. Some of them have been imprisoned for their actions. And we’re told to boycott them, on the grounds that they “normalise” Israel. This, I think, is intolerable.
The reason that I mention this is to highlight how it’s not as simple as Lambeth Green Party endorsing the BDS movement wholesale; there is a legitimate debate about the different elements of BDS and which will be most effective at furthering the cause of Palestinian liberation. I don’t think a blanket consumer boycott is something we should be telling Green Party members to take part in. We should be mobilising our forces for things that we think will work. For instance: building pressure on the British government to end arms sales; solidarity and resources to anti-occupation social forces on the ground in Israel and Palestine; supporting worker resistance in industries around the world that contribute Israel’s war machine, whether that’s tech workers seeking to end military contracts, or the dockers refusing to transport Israeli weapons.
Finally, I just want to say that I hope this amendment is taken in the spirit it was intended. We all are desperate for an end to occupation and genocide; and I look forward to working with fellow Green Party members to that end.
Lambeth Green Party BDS Motion
Lambeth Green Party (LGP) notes:
1. 5,000 residents, workers and students in Lambeth have signed Lambeth 4 Divestment from Israel’s (L4D) petition demanding that, ‘with immediate effect, Lambeth Full Council and Pensions Committee divest from the £52.4 million worth of investments identified in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) as being complicit in Israel’s oppression and illegal occupation of the Palestinian people’.
2. L4D’s demands have been backed by Lambeth UNISON, Lambeth Pensioners Action Group, Lambeth and Southwark PSC, Lambeth and Southwark Unite Community and Lambeth Trades Union Council.
3. Our LGP administration was elected on the back of manifesto commitments to ‘[e]nsure that Lambeth is not complicit in violations of international law, such as the genocide in Gaza, including through the council divesting pensions and any other funds it administers from complicit companies and through its procurement policies’.
4. All LGP councillor candidates signed up to the Pledge for Palestine committing to: ‘Uphold the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people; Support efforts to prevent, and ensure accountability for, Israel’s crimes of genocide, military occupation, ethnic cleansing and apartheid; Ensure my council is not complicit in and does not help to normalise Israel’s violations of international law, including through the council divesting pensions and any other funds it administers from complicit companies and through its procurement policies’.
5. Positive discussions are already underway between the Leader of the Council, Councillor Abrams, Green members of the Pensions Committee and L4D.
6. "The money divested, which could be the whole £52.4m, should be re-invested in a broad portfolio of safe investments that benefit the environment and combat climate change, such as well run solar schemes. It is recognised that the funds may need to be initially invested in interest bearing bank cash accounts until suitable more socially positive investments can be found. Discussions also should to be undertaken with relevant council officers regarding rules and legal constraints concerning pension fund investment."
7. L4D’s letter of 28 July which urges every Lambeth councillor to “propose a resolution to Full Council to, with immediate effect: a) Disclose full details of the Borough’s current Local Government Pension Scheme holdings, and; b) Divest from all funds complicit with Israel and its genocide, occupation and oppression of the Palestinian people.”
Lambeth Green Party believes that
1. Nearly three years since Israel launched its livestreamed genocide, it is morally and politically vital that our party and borough stand with the Palestinian people and use our positions to enact meaningful acts of solidarity including Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions.
2. The collaborative work between our Party, L4D and local campaigns like West Norwood for Palestine and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign must stand at the forefront of our solidarity efforts.
Lambeth Green Party resolves to:
1. Support L4D’s campaign demands and urge our Green councillors to lobby for the return of the L4D petition to Full Council.
2. Call upon our Green Councillors to respond positively to L4D’s approach and work with the campaign to take h immediate steps to ensure that the Council as soon as possible : a) Discloses full details of the Borough’s current Local Government Pension Scheme holdings, and; b) Divests from all funds complicit with Israel and its genocide, occupation and oppression of the Palestinian people’.
3. As and when such a motion comes to Full Council, the LGP recognises that pressure must be brought to bear upon the 4 votes needed for a majority, and commits to measures such as canvassing in relevant marginal councillor wards on a pro-divestment platform.
4. Support the burgeoning BDS movements in Lambeth, and explore ways to work with the West Norwood Apartheid-Free High Street and the Brixton Apartheid-Free Zone.
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