Byron Shire Council Cuts Links With Firms Tied to Israel’s Military

Byron Shire Council has voted to cut ties with companies it says are linked to Israel’s military actions, sparking heated debate in the Northern Rivers community.

At a meeting on Aug. 28, councillors resolved that the council’s contracts and investments will avoid contributing to what it described as human rights violations and international crimes in Gaza and the West Bank.

The council said the decision builds on earlier moves to divest from fossil fuels, weapons, tobacco, nuclear power, and other industries it considered unethical.

It noted that in 2018, the council declared a climate emergency; in 2024, it passed a ceasefire motion with overwhelming community and councillor backing.

“The deteriorating conditions and ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the West Bank is an abject failure in global governance, for which all levels of government around the world must take collective responsibility,” the minutes said.

Council noted that putting the new policy into effect would require a significant increase in staff time, legal oversight, and resources.

Council Frames Move As Ethical Responsibility

While welcoming the Albanese government’s recognition of Palestinian statehood, Byron councillors argued that “symbolic recognition” was not enough.

They said adopting an ethical purchasing policy was a “simple step local government can take to have real impact.”

The council said the policy aligns with international legal frameworks, rulings from the International Court of Justice, and existing domestic laws.

It confirmed there are no current contracts or investments with companies on the UN Human Rights Council’s register, but stressed it has discretion under NSW rules to set stronger ethical spending standards.

The motion follows similar steps taken elsewhere.

Sydney City Council reviewed who it buys from in June 2024 to check for human rights links, while Inner West Council divested entirely from fossil fuels in 2019.

Council leaders said their vote reflects a tradition of aligning financial decisions with “community values and international human rights standards.”

“The overwhelming community support for our 2024 ceasefire motion, combined with clear legal authority and growing precedent from councils like City of Sydney, creates both the mandate and pathway for immediate action,” the minutes stated.

Heated Community Debate

The decision drew strong responses from both sides of the community in Byron.

Subhi Awad, from Northern Rivers Friends of Palestine, urged councillors to back the motion.

“We’ve all seen the images—little bodies broken or starved to death by the tens of thousands,” he asked.

“If we cannot say that this community should not be tied to this horror, then who are we? What do we stand for?

“Opposing war crimes is never racism. Truly, racism comes from those who support genocide and ethnic cleansing.”

But Gilad Bino, from the Northern Rivers Jewish Community Association, spoke against the decision.

“This is part of the Hamas campaign whose leaders openly reject Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state by placing all the blame on one side,” he said.

Bino warned that boycotts “seldom bring real political change and often harden the very positions they aim to shift.” He also raised concerns about the impact at home.

“Since the Council’s last motion, Jewish residents here in Byron have been directly targeted,” he said, citing harassment, boycotts of Jewish-owned businesses, and even death threats against a local schoolboy.