25 signatures reached
To: Whanganui District Council and Horizons Regional Council
Stop funding the genocide: change council policy to align with UN resolution
We, the undersigned residents of the Whanganui region, call upon our elected officials in the Whanganui District Council and Horizons Regional Council to add the following wording to its procurement policies:
The Whanganui District Council will comply with UN resolution 2334 and will not contract with the list of companies identified by the United Nations Human Rights Council as being involved in the building or maintenance of illegal Israeli settlements.
Why is this important?
We seek that both councils align their procurement policy with UN Resolution 2334, and the obligations placed on member states by that resolution.
There is no question that Israel is currently in breach of many international laws. As a starting place, Israel is illegally occupying Palestinian territory. UN resolution 2334 refers to the territory held by Palestine in 1967 and the illegal occupation of that territory by Israel. As an occupier state, Israel has legal obligations to protect Palestinians who live in their territory. Israel in is breach of these obligations by directly targeting and knowingly harming Palestinian civilians. Israel does not have the right to attack citizens whom they have a duty to protect.
International agreements are not directly enforceable on crown agencies where their provisions have not been incorporated in domestic legislation. However, international agreements are significant even when they are not incorporated into domestic legislation as there is considerable political and moral force on governments to act in accordance with their international obligations.
UN Resolution 2334
In resolution 2334, Israel was requested to cease all settlement activities in the occupied territory. In support of this, Clause 5 of the resolution calls upon all states to distinguish between the territory of the state of Israel and the territories occupied since 1967 in all dealings with the region.
The Resolution was supported by the New Zealand government.
Subsequently, in February 2020 the United Nations published a database of over 100 companies it considered were doing business in the Israeli settlements. On 1 July 2023, the United Nations reviewed the list and removed 15 companies from the list due to them having halted activity in the Israeli settlements.
United Nations Resolution 2334 declared that all member states should not deal with organisations doing business in the illegally occupied Palestinian Territories, this includes Aotearoa/New Zealand.
We call on our local government to align its procurement policy with UN resolution 2334.
How it will be delivered
We will deliver the hard copy to Council at their next council meeting.
Horizons Regional Council Meeting: 30 April 2024
Whanganui District Council meeting: 7 May 2024