A letter has been sent to all councillors in Berkshire pushing for a public sector pensions scheme to ‘divest’ from Israel.
The East Berkshire Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) has been lobbying for more than a year for the Berkshire Pensions Fund to divest from companies it claims are being used by Israeli security forces.
The fund provides pensions to public sector workers, including all six councils in Berkshire, schools and paid volunteers.
The PSC recently commissioned a legal opinion regarding Local Government Pension Schemes’ investments in companies arming and or financially supporting Israel.
The legal opinion was requested as the PSC has accused Israeli armed forces of ‘committing a genocide’ in Gaza, a claim that has allegedly been backed by the International Court of Justice.
The PSC has previously secured a freedom of information (FOI) request revealing that the Berkshire Pension Fund has investments in AE Systems PLC, Safran SA and GE Aerospace, companies which are used by the Israeli Defence Forces.
Campaigners are therefore calling for managers of the fund to remove investments from these companies.
Their letter to councillors states: “The fund has investments in companies enabling these illegal acts yet the pension committee has stated that they will not divest nor are they willing to consult with scheme members to allow them to make an ethical and moral choice.
“East Berkshire PSC has been lobbying the pension committee and councils in our area for over a year regarding these unethical investments, only to be met with resistance and finally a review which ignored all of the measures we had requested, however, we will not be deterred.
“17 other UK councils have already committed to divest. Berkshire’s pension fund is simply prolonging the suffering of millions of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank as they delay the inevitable.
“Israel is now a pariah state and potentially could fail to deliver a good return on investments. Therefore, we suggest that the scheme is forward thinking and acts morally and ethically now, not when it becomes a financial consideration, as it surely will soon enough.”
Campaigners will make their case at the full meeting of Bracknell Forest Council on Wednesday, September 10.
The fund is administered by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead.
Councillor oversight of the fund, including investments, is conducted by a Fund Committee made up of councillors from all six Berkshire councils.
Councils which have made commitments to divest from companies suspected of being used for equipment by Israeli armed forces include Oxford City, Tower Hamlets, Bristol City and North Somerset.
