UK’s North Somerset council votes for divesting from companies linked to Israel’s military occupation

North Somerset Council in the UK has passed a motion backing divestment from companies enabling Israel’s military occupation and apartheid, marking another major step for the Palestine solidarity movement and the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign.

The motion calls on the Avon Pension Fund to withdraw investments from companies “that facilitate Israel’s breaches of international law,” including arms manufacturers supplying Israel and corporations operating in illegal Israeli settlements.

This decision follows months of grassroots campaigning by local groups, including Weston-Super-Mare Friends of Palestine and Clevedon Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), working alongside scheme members to push for ethical investment policies.

North Somerset is now the second council under the Avon Pension Fund to support such a measure, following Bristol City Council’s vote in January. Campaigners argue that the pension fund, which covers over 450 employers and more than 135,000 members, must now act on these calls and commit to ending financial ties with companies complicit in Israel’s human rights abuses.

The decision highlights the growing momentum of the divestment movement in the UK, with campaigners across the country urging councils to follow North Somerset’s lead and demand ethical investment policies that cut financial ties with companies profiting from Israel’s occupation and apartheid.

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