Agenda item

It was proposed by Councillor Wing and seconded by Councillor Austin that:

 

“That this Council:-

(a) notes:-

i. In response to the Hamas-led attacks on 7th October, that ‘by mid-December

the Israeli army has dropped 29,000 bombs, munitions and shells on the strip.

Nearly 70% of Gaza’s 439,000 homes and half of its buildings have been

damaged or destroyed’. Gaza is one of the most densely populated places in

the world and home to 2.2 million Palestinians (of whom almost half are

children).

ii. As of 21 st January 2024, 25,105 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and

another 62,681 wounded’. Over 1 million Palestinians have been displaced,

and many of the killed and injured are children.

iii. That collective punishment is against international law under the Geneva

Conventions.

iv. This escalation in violence has been felt acutely across the district by

residents and in particular among health care workers and clinical staff at

QEQM hospital, the main medical centre for Thanet, which has a far higher

level of diversity than the general population, some of whom have lost loved

ones. That residents in Thanet, as in other communities, have been further

affected by the rise in antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents across the UK

and elsewhere. Thanet has a significant Jewish community and heritage, and

‘more than seven out of ten Jews living in the UK have family in Israel, making

the horrific 7 th October attack by Hamas personal’. UK Police have also

reported a ‘record rise in religious hate crimes, with the Community Safety

Trust, a Jewish charity describing the figures as ‘shocking’ and campaigners

against Anti-Muslim abuse stating they are ‘deeply worrying’. It further notes

that it is affecting communities ‘trust in authorities and their sense of identity

and belonging’. The lack of criticism by Thanet District Council for the

unprecedented attacks on a predominantly Muslin/brown civilian population is

having a further impact on this part of our community.

v. That the Israeli government have cut off water, food, and electricity to Gaza

which is a recognised war crime under International Humanitarian Law.

vi. That on the 30 th October 2023 the World Bank warned that ‘oil prices could

reach $150 in 2024 due to the consequences of the war leading to further oil

supply disruption’ which would ‘inevitably mean higher food prices’. ‘The IMF

estimates that a sustained 10% increase in oil prices shaves 0.15 percentage

points off global economic growth and adds 0.4 points to inflation in the

following year’. It further adds that ‘the cost of a barrel of crude oil is now

about 10% higher than it was before the Hamas attack’. Government poverty

data continues to rank ‘Thanet as the most deprived local authority in Kent’, it

also ‘has the most LSOAs within the most deprived decile with 18’ and has

seen no change since 2015. Clearly, the impact of increased food and fuel

prices now and as predicted into the coming year, will be felt by all Thanet

residents but disproportionally felt by the significant number of residents that

live in poverty. In addition, higher costs will also negatively affect the Councils

finances. With no end in sight and tensions growing ‘if the conflict spreads to

major oil-producing nations in the region such as Iran, the global economy

could face severe repercussions as energy costs for businesses and

households spike’.

 

(b) believes:-

i. What is happening in Gaza is a humanitarian catastrophe with horrific

escalations of violence.

ii. Loss of all civilian lives and atrocities committed against civilians in both the

Hamas attacks and the continuing bombardment of the Gaza strip by Israel, is

horrific and must be condemned and investigated.

iii. All forms of racism, including Anti-Palestinian racism, Antisemitism and

Islamophobia have no place in Thanet or the wider world and condemns any

attacks on these groups

iv. Polls show that UK citizens surveyed overwhelmingly support a humanitarian

ceasefire, which has been called for by the U.N. High Commissioner for

Human Rights, UNICEF, Save the Children, the head of the WHO, as well as

Oxfam. While Ipsos found ‘7 out of 10 UK citizens are concerned about the

impact of the conflict on Palestinians and Israeli civilians’ and that they ‘are

more likely to want the UK Government to be a neutral mediator or not be

involved at all than support a particular side’ .

v. All political leaders, at all levels of government, have duties under international law to prevent genocide; and that

vi. Thousands of Thanet residents have joined protests, meetings and other

events and gatherings, written to MPs, or contacted their councillors backing

these calls for a ceasefire

(c) therefore resolves to:-

 

(i) call upon the UK Government and Opposition Government to:-

 

i. call for an immediate ceasefire,

ii. open humanitarian corridors into Gaza to allow aid and other vital medical resources to flow unhindered in,

iii. provide an opportunity to seek the immediate release of all hostages and all Palestinians held in arbitrary military detention,

iv. call for an arms embargo to be enacted by all involved in the conflict and

v. call on Israel to resume negotiations with the Palestinians to seek a peaceful solution that ensures justice, safety, fairness and equality for all;

 

(ii) request that the Leader submits this Motion to the UK Prime Minister and Opposition Leader.”

 

In accordance with council procedure rule 3.7, Councillor Everitt provided a response to the motion.

 

It was proposed by Councillor Yates, seconded by Councillor Garner and councillors agreed to debate the motion.

 

Councillor Everitt proposed and Councillor Scobie seconded the following  amendment:

 

“1, Delete at a) iv: “The lack of criticism by Thanet District Council for the unprecedented attacks on a predominantly Muslin/brown civilian population is having a further impact on this part of our community.“

 

2. Following b) delete “believes” and insert “recognises that”

 

3. At b) v: insert, after the word “genocide”, “to the extent it is within their power”

 

4. At c) delete “opposition government” and insert “all Westminster political parties”

 

5. At c) i. Insert “humanitarian” before ceasefire

 

6. At c) ii delete “open” and insert “call for the opening of”

 

7. At c) iii delete all the existing and insert “call for the immediate unconditional release of the hostages held by Hamas”

 

8. Delete c) iv in its entirety

 

At c) v renumber as iv and delete “call on Israel to resume negotiations with the Palestinians” and insert “call for resumed negotiations” instead; then insert “two-state” before “solution”

 

(ii) delete the remainder after “Prime Minister”.

 

Councillors debated and agreed the proposed amendments, and so the amended motion was now the motion to be debated.

 

Councillor Pugh proposed, and Councillor Kup seconded the following alternative amendments to the former motion.

 

“That this Council:-

(a) notes:-

i. In response to the Hamas-led attacks on 7th October, that ‘by mid-December

the Israeli army has dropped 29,000 bombs, munitions and shells on the strip.

Nearly 70% of Gaza’s 439,000 homes and half of its buildings have been

damaged or destroyed’. Gaza is one of the most densely populated places in

the world and home to 2.2 million Palestinians (of whom almost half are

children).

ii. As of 21 st January 2024, 25,105 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and

another 62,681 wounded’. Over 1 million Palestinians have been displaced,

and many of the killed and injured are children.

iii. That collective punishment is against international law under the Geneva

Conventions.

iv. This escalation in violence has been felt acutely across the district by

residents and in particular among health care workers and clinical staff at

QEQM hospital, the main medical centre for Thanet, which has a far higher

level of diversity than the general population, some of whom have lost loved

ones. That residents in Thanet, as in other communities, have been further

affected by the rise in antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents across the UK

and elsewhere. Thanet has a significant Jewish community and heritage, and

‘more than seven out of ten Jews living in the UK have family in Israel, making

the horrific 7 th October attack by Hamas personal’. UK Police have also

reported a ‘record rise in religious hate crimes, with the Community Safety

Trust, a Jewish charity describing the figures as ‘shocking’ and campaigners

against Anti-Muslim abuse stating they are ‘deeply worrying’. It further notes

that it is affecting communities ‘trust in authorities and their sense of identity

and belonging’. The lack of criticism by Thanet District Council for the

unprecedented attacks on a predominantly Muslin/brown civilian population is

having a further impact on this part of our community.

v. That the Israeli government have cut off water, food, and electricity to Gaza

which is a recognised war crime under International Humanitarian Law.

vi. That on the 30 th October 2023 the World Bank warned that ‘oil prices could

reach $150 in 2024 due to the consequences of the war leading to further oil

supply disruption’ which would ‘inevitably mean higher food prices’. ‘The IMF

estimates that a sustained 10% increase in oil prices shaves 0.15 percentage

points off global economic growth and adds 0.4 points to inflation in the

following year’. It further adds that ‘the cost of a barrel of crude oil is now

about 10% higher than it was before the Hamas attack’. Government poverty

data continues to rank ‘Thanet as the most deprived local authority in Kent’, it

also ‘has the most LSOAs within the most deprived decile with 18’ and has

seen no change since 2015. Clearly, the impact of increased food and fuel

prices now and as predicted into the coming year, will be felt by all Thanet

residents but disproportionally felt by the significant number of residents that

live in poverty. In addition, higher costs will also negatively affect the Councils

finances. With no end in sight and tensions growing ‘if the conflict spreads to

major oil-producing nations in the region such as Iran, the global economy

could face severe repercussions as energy costs for businesses and

households spike’.

 

(b) believes:-

i. What is happening in Gaza is a humanitarian catastrophe with horrific

escalations of violence.

ii. Loss of all civilian lives and atrocities committed against civilians in both the

Hamas attacks and the continuing bombardment of the Gaza strip by Israel, is

horrific and must be condemned and investigated.

iii. All forms of racism, including Anti-Palestinian racism, Antisemitism and

Islamophobia have no place in Thanet or the wider world and condemns any

attacks on these groups

iv. Polls show that UK citizens surveyed overwhelmingly support a humanitarian

ceasefire, which has been called for by the U.N. High Commissioner for

Human Rights, UNICEF, Save the Children, the head of the WHO, as well as

Oxfam. While Ipsos found ‘7 out of 10 UK citizens are concerned about the

impact of the conflict on Palestinians and Israeli civilians’ and that they ‘are

more likely to want the UK Government to be a neutral mediator or not be

involved at all than support a particular side’ .

v. All political leaders, at all levels of government, have duties under

international law to prevent genocide; and that

vi. Thousands of Thanet residents have joined protests, meetings and other

events and gatherings, written to MPs, or contacted their councillors backing

these calls for a ceasefire

(c) Supports:

i. Israel’s right to self-defence, in compliance with international humanitarian

law, against terror attacks perpetrated by Hamas; 

ii. Condemns the slaughter, abuse and gender-based violence perpetrated on

7th October 2023, further condemns the use of civilian areas by Hamas and

others for terrorist operations, urges negotiations to agree an immediate

humanitarian pause as the best way to stop the fighting and to get aid in and

hostages out; 

iii. Supports moves towards a permanent bilateral and sustainable ceasefire;

acknowledges that achieving this will require all hostages to be released, the

formation of a new Palestinian Government, Hamas to be unable to launch

further attacks and no longer in charge in Gaza, and a credible pathway to a

two-state solution which delivers peace, security and justice for both Israelis

and Palestinians; 

iv. Expresses concern at the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and at the prospect of a

military offensive in Rafah; 

v. Reaffirms the urgent need to significantly scale up the flow of aid into Gaza

where too many innocent civilians have died; and calls on all parties to take

immediate steps to stop the fighting and ensure unhindered humanitarian

access. 

 

(d) therefore resolves to:-

 

(i) call upon the UK Government and Opposition Government to:-

 

i. call for an immediate bilateral ceasefire,

ii. open humanitarian corridors into Gaza to allow aid and

other vital medical resources to flow unhindered in,

iii. provide an opportunity to seek the immediate release of

all hostages and all Palestinians held in arbitrary military

detention,

iv. call for an arms embargo to be enacted by all involved in

the conflict and

v. call on both Israel and the Palestinians to resume

negotiations to seek a peaceful solution that ensures

justice, safety, fairness and equality for all irrespective of

religion or ethnicity;

 

(ii) request that the Leader submits this Motion to the UK Prime

Minister and Opposition Leader.”

 

Councillors debated and voted against the alternative amendments proposed by Councillor Pugh.

 

Council proceeded to debate the original motion as amended by Councillor Everitt and when the Chair asked Council to vote on the motion, Councillors agreed the following:

 

 

 

“That this Council:-

 

(a)  Notes:-

 

 

i.  In response to the Hamas-led attacks on 7th October, that ‘by mid-December the Israeli army has dropped 29,000 bombs, munitions and shells on the strip. Nearly 70% of Gaza’s 439,000 homes and half of its buildings have been damaged or destroyed’. Gaza is one of the most densely populated places in the world and home to 2.2 million Palestinians (of whom almost half are children).

 

iii.  As of 21 st January 2024, 25,105 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and another 62,681 wounded’. Over 1 million Palestinians have been displaced, and many of the killed and injured are children.

 

iii.  That collective punishment is against international law under the Geneva Conventions.

 

iv.  This escalation in violence has been felt acutely across the district by residents and in particular among health care workers and clinical staff at QEQM hospital, the main medical centre for Thanet, which has a far higher level of diversity than the general population, some of whom have lost loved ones. That residents in Thanet, as in other communities, have been further affected by the rise in antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents across the UK and elsewhere.

 

Thanet has a significant Jewish community and heritage, and ‘more than seven out of ten Jews living in the UK have family in Israel, making the horrific 7 th October attack by Hamas personal’. UK Police have also reported a ‘record rise in religious hate crimes, with the Community Safety Trust, a Jewish charity describing the figures as ‘shocking’ and campaigners against Anti-Muslim abuse stating they are ‘deeply worrying’. It further notes that it is affecting communities ‘trust in authorities and their sense of identity and belonging’.

 

v.  That the Israeli government have cut off water, food, and electricity to Gaza which is a recognised war crime under International Humanitarian Law.

 

vi.  That on the 30 th October 2023 the World Bank warned that ‘oil prices could reach $150 in 2024 due to the consequences of the war leading to further oil supply disruption’ which would ‘inevitably mean higher food prices’. ‘The IMF estimates that a sustained 10% increase in oil prices shaves 0.15 percentage points off global economic growth and adds 0.4 points to inflation in the following year’. It further adds that ‘the cost of a barrel of crude oil is now about 10% higher than it was before the Hamas attack’. Government poverty data continues to rank ‘Thanet as the most deprived local authority in Kent’, it also ‘has the most LSOAs within the most deprived decile with 18’ and has seen no change since 2015.

 

Clearly, the impact of increased food and fuel prices now and as predicted into the coming year, will be felt by all Thanet residents but disproportionally felt by the significant number of residents that live in poverty. In addition, higher costs will also negatively affect the Council's finances. With no end in sight and tensions growing ‘if the conflict spreads to major oil-producing nations in the region such as Iran, the global economy could face severe repercussions as energy costs for businesses and households spike.’

 

(b)  Recognises that:

 

i.  What is happening in Gaza is a humanitarian catastrophe with horrific escalations of Violence.

 

ii.  Loss of all civilian lives and atrocities committed against civilians in both the Hamas attacks and the continuing bombardment of the Gaza strip by Israel, is horrific and must be condemned and investigated.

 

iii.  All forms of racism, including Anti-Palestinian racism, Antisemitism and Islamophobia have no place in Thanet or the wider world and condemns any attacks on these groups.

 

iv.  Polls show that UK citizens surveyed overwhelmingly support a humanitarian ceasefire, which has been called for by the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, UNICEF, Save the Children, the head of the WHO, as well as Oxfam. While Ipsos found ‘7 out of 10 UK citizens are concerned about the impact of the conflict on Palestinians and Israeli civilians’ and that they ‘are more likely to want the UK Government to be a neutral mediator or not be involved at all than support a particular side.’

 

v.  All political leaders, at all levels of government, have duties under international law to prevent genocide to the extent it is within their power; and that

 

vi.  Thousands of Thanet residents have joined protests, meetings and other events and gatherings, written to MPs, or contacted their councillors backing these calls for a ceasefire.

 

(c)  Therefore resolves to:-

 

(i)  Call upon the UK Government and all Westminster political parties to-

 

i.  Call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire,

 

ii.  Call for the opening of humanitarian corridors into Gaza to allow aid and other vital medical resources to flow unhindered in,

 

iii.  Call for the immediate unconditional release of the hostages held by Hamas;

 

iv.  Call for resumed negotiations to seek a peaceful two state solution that ensures justice, safety, fairness and equality for all;

 

(v)  request that the Leader submits this Motion to the UK Prime Minister.”