‘A victory for common sense’
THE verdict is unanimous: Marrickville Council’s backdown over its boycott of Israel was a victory for common sense.
THE verdict is unanimous: Marrickville Council’s backdown over its boycott of Israel was a victory for common sense.
Last Tuesday night, a day after The AJN went to print due to Pesach, the council voted 8-4 not to pursue its planned boycott of Israel in “any shape or form”.
Despite electing not to go ahead with a boycott against Israel, Marrickville Council endorsed a one-sided resolution calling for the protection of Palestinian rights on Tuesday night.
After heavy pressure from the Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd, NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell and Greens leader Bob Brown to dump the proposal, councillors voted the policy down. A mayoral minute to support BDS in principle was also rejected.
But the inner-city council went down swinging, with the wording of the agreed-to motion stating that the council “Remains concerned about Palestinian human rights and calls on Israel to end the occupation of all Arab lands.”
Inner-West Jewish Community spokesperson Uri Windt, welcomed the reversal.
“The turnaround of policy is decisive and it’s significant for two reasons,” the local resident said. “One is the reversal of it and [two] the council now, as a matter of policy, has rejected having the words BDS [Boycott, Divestment and Sanction] in any aspect of its policy.
“The rejection of the policy, voted on in December, leaves the BDS movement without even a symbolic victory,” Windt explained.
NSW Jewish Board of Deputies president Yair Miller said the people of Marrickville had made their feelings very clear on the issue, and was pleased the majority of councillors had responded accordingly.
“While much of the rest of the wording of the rescission motion, however, points to a fundamental lack of understanding of the issues on the ground, we are confident that councillors realised the limits of local government getting actively involved in complex foreign affairs,” he said.
O’Farrell, who had threatened to take action against the Greens-dominated council if it did not back down, said: “It’s good to see that common sense has reigned and that Marrickville Council’s getting back to what its ratepayers want it to focus on – the services that local governments across the state are meant to provide to residents.”
Those sentiments were echoed by Minister for Local Government, Don Page.
“I welcome their decision to rescind their earlier motion,” he said.
“Council should get on with their core business as outlined in Section 8 of the Local Government Act and not engage in matters that are the domain of the Federal Government.”
GARETH NARUNSKY
Anti-BDS graffiti in Marrickville. Eight councillors said no to the boycott last week.
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