British city council votes to allow a boycott of Israel with shouts of 'Free Palestine'

The chamber of Birmingham City Council erupted with chants of “Free Palestine” after a motion to review investments with the option to divest from Israel passed last Tuesday, with 54 votes to 19.

The council of Britain’s second-largest city heard the motion proposed by Independent councilor Nosheen Khalid, which called for a comprehensive examination of banking and investments held by the West Midlands Pension Fund and financial ties to Israel.

Speaking about the need for ethical investment, Green Party Councilor Duncan Ali for Balsall Heath West pointed out that the West Midlands' pension fund holds £24 billion ($32.2 billion) worth of shares in companies across the globe.

“We believe we can meet our financial obligations and do the right thing,” he said, explaining that he wanted to see investment going into companies that respected their workers, served communities and protected the environment, and to divest from those which did the opposite.

“It means divesting from multinational companies, such as Palantia, [which] have been providing the Israeli army with data, which has enabled them to commit war crimes in Gaza,” said Ali, a signatory to the “Zionism is Racism” policy of the Green Party.

“We are talking about moving our investments to create a better world, to move away from the world where killing, pollution, and global warming are being increased towards a world where peace, environmental health, and a cooling of the planet, as far as possible, is achieved. That's what the motion is about, and that's what our amendments seek to achieve,” he explained.

In a statement to the press announcing the results, Khalid, the council’s cabinet member for health and social care, declared:

“Today is an absolutely historic day for Birmingham City Council, for the residents of Birmingham. Birmingham City Council is Europe's biggest council, and today, the Better Birmingham group presented a motion, asking for divestment from the pension fund, and for procurement activities, or anything else where there is credible evidence of crimes against humanity.”

Meanwhile in the UK the Birmingham city council has finally found the root cause of all its problems and is kicking out any company associated with Israel (well, according to the council at least) So now the Birmingham city council has its own international policy, I guess https://t.co/iZl8qBEuyS

— Michael Elgort (@just_whatever) November 4, 2026

“This is the day that residents should be proud of. It's a day we're certainly proud of, and it is one step closer to making the right decisions and the right choices for the people of Birmingham and the people beyond, and the people of Palestine,” said Khalid.

However, Simone Schehtman, a member of Birmingham’s Jewish community and former chair of governors of King David Jewish School, was not impressed.

“These people are elected to deal with housing and transport and environment, and antisocial behavior and crime, and all the rest of it but have absolutely no place in foreign policy,” she told ALL ISRAEL NEWS, clarifying that it was right to recognize the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. “But especially in a city that's in a financial crisis, their focus has to be on delivering local services.”

Birmingham City Council went bankrupt in 2023, impacting services such as rubbish collection, but the council claimed in February this year that it was no longer effectively bankrupt.

A time-limited, cross-authority task group will review the West Midlands Pension Fund Pensions Committee to examine relevant financial and investment arrangements and explore possible courses of action, something the West Midlands Palestine Solidarity Campaign has long called for, according to The New Arab.

The motion was passed despite section 17 of the Local Government Act 1988, which specifies that politically motivated boycotts and foreign policy agendas should not be factored into local authority procurement decisions, and was supported by members of the Labor, Independent and Green parties.

Schehtman expressed her expectation that the motion would be found unlawful and described the move as a “brilliant voting optic” that did nothing for local residents.

“It does nothing for housing, nothing for bins, nothing for mental health, nothing for potholes, nothing for bus lanes, nothing for environment, social media, and social media, crime, all of these things,” she said. “That is what they are charged and elected to do. It's all performative and it's a disgrace."

During the debate last Tuesday, Raihaan Abbas, Councilor for Sparkbrook and Balsall Heath, outlined his grievances against Israel at length, starting from the establishment of the Jewish state up until today. He claimed the motion represented the people of Birmingham since ten thousand rallied in the streets to protest against Israel’s military action in Gaza.

Quoting reports that 21,700 Palestinian children have been killed, Abbas implored the chamber:

“Imagine your child now, your child in your arms, having no water, having no food, and not knowing whether either of you survived the night… This is an atrocity. It's an abomination,” he continued.

He cited UN accusations of genocide and war crimes, and insisted that divestment from Israel did not equate to antisemitism or detract from the people of Birmingham.

“We are not putting Gaza before Birmingham. We are putting the people of Birmingham first,” he said. “Our amendment is simple. No money coming into Birmingham City Council should knowingly come from businesses, organizations, or states responsible for, financing, or facilitating genocide or war crimes.”

The resolution also covers other countries such as Sudan, Congo, Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates. However, the disproportionate focus on Israel has concerned local residents.

“My immediate reaction was anger that so much time and energy had been given to this motion when the council is struggling with the delivery of basic services,” said Birmingham resident Vivienne James, adding that the chants of “Free Palestine” caused her grave concern about the behavior and intention of the councilors.

Is this Ramallah? Gaza City? No, it's Birmingham. Where bins go uncollected, more than a quarter of the adult population is economically inactive, and the benefits bill is higher than anywhere else in the country. I will never tire in fighting this disgusting sectarianism. https://t.co/8vMQis1wmS

— Nick Timothy MP (@NJ_Timothy) November 4, 2026

While saying she had no problem with Muslims in leadership given the large Muslim population of Birmingham, James said that they were constantly using the Gaza issue to gain and keep the favor of the Muslim and extreme left-wing voter base.

“From the get-go, my local Green Party councilor has placed the Palestinian issue at the forefront of his agenda, platforming several mosque leaders on this issue. All while the city of Birmingham is still being held hostage by the unions over its rubbish collection,” she said, adding, “there is still no functioning recycling collection.”

“They seem to be proud of the fact that it might leave those who might disagree with this notion or the Jewish community themselves out in the cold or afraid to express opposition to this view,” James said.

Noting the proximity to Kristallnacht, Schehtman expressed her concern that a slow but steady attack on Jewish people and on Western values was gathering pace.

“It starts before you smash the windows. It starts with that pushing back, the ostracizing, the isolating… You guys are different. You guys are causing the problem. That's how it starts,” she said. “This is a very well-managed, orchestrated, and funded campaign.”