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Opponents of Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza want the Gold Coast City Council (GCCC) to disclose its ties to entities complicit in Israel’s violations of international law.

Signatories to a community petition argue that given the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling of “plausible genocide” against Israel, even councils need to “avoid any form of assistance or recognition of the illegal situation created by Israel’s settlements and occupation”.

“Inaction by the international community, including local governments, only serves to perpetuate these violations and contribute to Israel’s sense of impunity.”

Specifically, petitioners are requesting that GCCC conduct an audit of its investments in companies that are complicit in the war in Gaza or the illegal settlements in the West Bank, and commit to informing the Gold Coast community of these links.

They are also calling on Mayor Tom Tate to clarify previous statements suggesting that GCCC already has dealings with Israeli cyber security technology, via its sister city in Netanya.

Now a coastal resort city, Netanya was known as Umm Khalid, before it was forcibly occupied by Israel in 1948 and its residents driven out.

“Gold Coast residents, rate and tax payers ask for transparency regarding our council’s involvement with companies complicit in these violations of international and humanitarian law,” the petition states.

This campaign follows a previous unsuccessful attempt to have the GCCC withdraw its sister city agreement with Netanya, over Israel’s human rights abuses and genocidal war on Gaza.

Council debated the petition on August 20 following a governance committee recommendationthat the sister-city agreement continue. Labor and Liberal National Party (LNP) councillors voted overwhelmingly in favour of continuing the relationship.

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Outside the council meeting. Photo: Susan Price

The only exception was independent councillor Peter Young, who voted against. Councillors in favour argued that the sister city relationship is “non-political”.

However, speaking after the decision, progressive Jew Ed Carroll said that while the Sister City program may be non-political, “any continued support to the state of Israel, especially in the last year, is a political statement”.

In arguing for the relationship to continue,  Councillor Brooke Patterson, who  chairs the governance committee, said the situation in Gaza was outside the control of local councils.

Patterson is an LNP member and a vocal supporter of Israel. She and other councillors voted down a motion to express compassion to both Israelis and Palestinians.

Leading up to the vote, the (AJN) reported that the Temple Shalom Gold Coast Synagogue had written to Tate and Patterson. Temple Shalom spokesperson Ben Naday told the AJN that “Sister City arrangements … shouldn’t be used as political footballs by radicals and terror apologists.”

Federal LNP MP Angie Bell also chimed in. “Sadly, the conflict in the Middle East has increased tensions within our local community, with a small group of extreme protesters demanding the Gold Coast sever sister city ties with Israeli city, Netanya.”

Bell urged council to “retain this relationship and instead continue to promote community strength and harmony and to consider the impact on our community should these ties be severed”.

Bell did not mention the impact of Israel’s genocidal war on Palestinian residents on the Gold Coast who have lost family members and those watching a genocide take place in real time.