Petitioners bid on Edinburgh- Gaza twinning spiked
At 17:00 hrs on Monday 28th March, just 17 hours before twinning Edinburgh with Gaza City was to be discussed, Edinburgh Council announced that the item had been withdrawn from the committee agenda, to allow officers to “give full consideration to legal matters raised since publication of the agenda” (see here).
Petitioner Pete Gregson was told by his local councillor that the Israeli authorities have challenged any consideration of the matter, even to negatively consider, as unlawful, on grounds it “could” support Hamas- a listed terrorist organisation. The Council Legal team had no expertise on that part of law so they’re having to check.
The Israeli intervention was prompted by the UK Lawyers for Israel threat of 24th March which warned Councillors that if they went ahead and twinned, they could be facing 14 years in prison, using Priti Patel’s anti-Hamas legislation of last November.
Pete , who was due to address Committee after calling for the bid, said “Israel are saying that even to discuss Hamas NEGATIVELY is to support it. This is ridiculous conjecture. Israel is undermining our democracy with threats, stopping friendly relations between cities.”
Gaza Municipality had on Monday submitted, for Edinburgh Councillors, a 1-minute film which shows no Hamas involvement:
Our last posting includes the Gaza Council press release, also sent to Edinburgh Councillors, which also shows no Hamas involvement www.twingaza.com/gaza-council-explains-how-mayor-was-appointed-no-hamas-involvement/
On Monday afternoon, Edinburgh Council leaders had also been informed by Cllr Padraig McShane, ex-Moyle Council, who has been through this before, not to worry.
(Cllr McShane is currently with Causeway Coast & Glens Council, who absorbed Moyle a couple of years ago, which meant the twinning with Gaza, set up in 2012 by Cllr McShane, ceased.)
Cllr McShane had faced a similar legal threat back in 2012. A similar communication was sent to Moyle District Council. It resulted in the Council choosing to hear from the Home Office, Foreign Office and the PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland). None could find fault with the Twinning. Cllr McShane has told the Edinburgh Council Legal Dept and Council leaders: “This UKLFI threat is entirely a red herring. A twinning agreement is between two sets of people.”
However, the Council officers felt too threatened to listen and pulled the report from the Policy Committee meeting agenda that was scheduled for Tuesday – it was originally item 7.8 on https://democracy.edinburgh.gov.uk/documents/g6094/Agenda%20frontsheet%2029th-Mar-2022%2010.00%20Policy%20and%20Sustainability%20Committee.pdf?T=0
The Gaza Mayor, Dr. Yahya Sarraj, was originally planning to address the meeting. A number of other groups supporting the twinning bid expressed disappointed sentiments (there had been 15 letters of support in all).
Pete Gregson, the petitioner, said:
“This is the terrible news that we feared most. It appears that the UKLFI weren’t getting anywhere so they called up Israel itself, who made such a fuss that the Council officers caved in. The UKLFI told the Council to pull the twinning item last Thursday, the Council ignored them… and then on Monday at about 3pm it seems Naftali Bennet might have called them himself- anyway, the corporate lawyers at the Council just said “this is beyond our expertise” and told the Councillors to pull it. [yes, it does seem odd that officers now tell the Councillors what to do, and not the other way round, but that is where we are]. What it is very important, though, is for us not to attack the Council for being so fearful- we must keep them on our side.
“It’s only if we kick up a stink that we can stop Israel doing this. There is a group in Hastings trying to twin with Al-Mawasi in Gaza- they’ll be next.
“Now that the report has been pulled, it will be mid-June before the Council discuss it again, during which time the Israelis will do their very best to make sure twinning with Gaza never happens. They mean to isolate the Gazans forever- we don’t want to let them beat us on this.
“There is an election coming on 4th May and all through April there will be husting events- I have done these before- it’s a perfect time to put candidates on the spot, asking them for their view on Israel controlling our democracy. To tell us that “even negatively considering” twinning is to commit a crime is outrageous..
“Please help us to get our politicians and our media going on this. Many of you used the website to write to the Councillors once- let’s use it to write to them again, expressing our dismay that Israel is dictating to our elected members what they can and cannot say about Palestine. If you live in Edinburgh, there is a new letter you can use at What you can do – Twin Edinburgh with Gaza (twingaza.com)
“We are asking campaign supporters to help us protest. We’d like as many folk as possible to write into the newspapers about it. The press will realise then that it’s a story that needs to be covered.
Even if you don’t live in Edinburgh, you can get involved in this, by emailing the letters editors of the newspapers, expressing your concern at Israel hegemony. To get information on who to write to- and to join our supporters list, please drop an email with the text of the letter you propose to use, to info@twingaza.com “
Michael Mansfield QC may help us
The petitioner knows Michael from previous campaigning and asked him to help; Michael got back to say “Stand firm”. We’ve asked Michael if he will get more involved and we’ve asked our Council Leaders if they might consider working with him.
Michael is simply the best rights lawyer we have in the UK. Recently described as the King of Human Rights work (see Michael Mansfield – Wikipedia). There is no case that he has not been at the centre of- Grenfell, Bloody Sunday, Birmingham Six, the Hillsborough disaster and the deaths of Jean Charles de Menezes and Dodi Al-Fayed and the McLibel case.
Michael is Jewish. And he is angry about Israel; see www.electronicintifada.net/content/un-must-prosecute-israel-war-crimes-says-bloody-sunday-lawyer/10987 He says of Palestine “I cannot turn my back to it.”
STOP PRESS– STOP PRESS– STOP PRESS– STOP PRESS–
The petitioner has written to the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon MSP and the Minister for Social Security and Local Government Ben McPherson MSP pointing out that this is a matter of foreign interference in our local government affairs, and asking if they can help.
He is hoping for a sympathetic response. In May 2017, the First Minister told the Israeli envoy to the UK that the situation in the Palestinian enclave must end (see Israeli envoy to UK given ‘very strong’ message by Scotland over Gaza | Jewish News )
MEDIA COVERAGE OF COUNCIL’S POSITION; ALL PUBLISHED 29TH MARCH 2022
Edinburgh Evening News www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/politics/council/edinburgh-twinning-with-gaza-petition-pulled-from-agenda-to-await-legal-advice-3631408
The National www.thenational.scot/news/20028941.edinburgh-twinning-gaza-motion-pulled-council-agenda/
Edinburgh Reporter www.theedinburghreporter.co.uk/2022/03/discussions-on-gaza-twinning-postponed/
Edinburgh Live www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/edinburgh-news/edinburgh-council-pulls-gaza-twinning-23535505
Redress Online – www.redressonline.com/2022/03/israel-tells-edinburgh-city-council-it-cant-discuss-gaza-petitioners-bid-on-edinburgh-gaza-twinning-spiked/
Radio Forth- hourly news bulletin throughout the day of the 29th March 2022
AND ON 30TH MARCH: Morning Star- the article includes comments from political supporters Cllr Padraig McShane and Dr Phillipa Whitford MP www.morningstaronline.co.uk/article/b/edinburgh-city-council-pulls-debate-on-twinning-with-gaza-following-pressure-from-israeli-lobbyists
ZIONIST JOY
Of course, the Zionists are crowing about Israel’s bullying tactics- see www.israellycool.com/2022/03/29/success-edinburgh-city-council-withdraws-discussion-on-twinning-with-gaza/
and www.israelnationalnews.com/news/324662
and of course UK Lawyers For Israel www.uklfi.com/edinburgh-council-withdraws-discussion-on-twinning-with-gaza
UPDATE 30.3.22
This is from the Jewish Life article above: “Amongst those to raise objections [to Edinburgh’s Policy Committee] to the twinning move had been the UK Lawyers For Israel group and the We Believe In Israel grassroots campaign organisation.
“In a letter to Edinburgh Council, UKLFI had stressed that because Gaza City is “ruled by Hamas, which is proscribed in its entirety under the Terrorism Act 2000… it is very difficult to see how Councillors or Officers could participate in any twinning activity without committing criminal offences.”
“We Believe In Israel director Luke Akehurst had also stated that “Gaza is controlled by the terrorist group Hamas, and this makes it very difficult for councils or civic society in the UK to meaningfully interact with the people of Gaza, without doing this through a filter of Hamas control and lending legitimacy to Hamas and the institutions it uses for its totalitarian rule over Gaza.”“
This is from the UK Lawyers for Israel posting above “Jonathan Turner, chief executive of UK Lawyers for Israel commented: “Since Gaza City is ruled by Hamas, which is proscribed in its entirety under the Terrorism Act 2000, it seems inevitable that Councillors or Officer who participate in twinning activities would commit criminal offences.”
“The letter from UKLFI to Edinburgh City Council’s Head of Legal Services explained that a person commits a criminal offence under section 12 of this Act if he invites support for a proscribed organisation or arranges or addresses a meeting to support or further the activities of a proscribed organisation.
“The letter noted that the activities of Hamas include governing Gaza City and controlling nearly everything in the city. Accordingly, “Joint economic development arrangements” and “joint civil undertakings” as proposed in the petition would almost certainly contravene this provision.
“A criminal offence is also committed under section 17 of the Terrorism Act if a person enters into an arrangement as a result of which money or other property is made available to another person with reasonable cause to suspect that it may be used for the purposes of terrorism. Under section 1(5) of the Act, action taken for the benefit of a proscribed organisation is deemed to be taken for the purposes of terrorism.
“Hamas is also designated in its entirety under The Counter-Terrorism (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019. Under Regulation 12 of these Regulations, it is an offence to make funds available directly or indirectly to a designated person, including any person controlled directly or indirectly by a designated person.
“UKLFI’s letter observes that the funding of any joint activity would be likely to contravene these prohibitions.
“UKLFI suggests that the Head of Legal Services should advise Councillors on the applicability of these provisions and the serious consequences that would ensue from breaching them.
“UKLFI also pointed out the need to comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty in section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, including the requirement to have due regard for the need to foster good relations between persons of different religions and ethnicities.
“The Jewish community in Edinburgh is alarmed by the petition, especially as it promotes the elimination of Israel as the world’s only Jewish state.”
Note from Petitioner; there are but 700 Jews in Edinburgh, a city of 450,00 people, including over 15,000 Muslims. Given that the UKLFI only found out about the petition following the launch of the campaign on Wednesday 26th March and then acted to lodge a letter with Edinburgh Council’s Chief Executive the very next day, it is quite impossible that they would have had time to find out if the Jewish community in Edinburgh really were alarmed by the petition. Thus Pete believes their claim is bogus. And for them to claim that the petition promotes “the elimination of Israel” is quite bogus too.