Portland City Council in Maine has voted unanimously to divest from companies doing business with Israel, as the occupation state’s near 11-month military offensive against the Palestinians in Gaza has killed 41,000 Palestinians and wounded 95,000 others. The overwhelming majority of those killed in what the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has called a plausible genocide were women and children.
The divestment list includes 85 companies, among them major corporations such as Chevron, Volvo and Boeing. The move follows a previous resolution passed in January, which called for the US government to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Israel has since rejected several ceasefire deals by introducing new conditions to those agreed by the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas.
The latest resolution was proposed by Councillor April Fournier, and the vote attracted a large and emotional crowd to City Hall. The council chambers and overflow rooms were filled to capacity as the meeting entered its third hour of public comment.
Residents who spoke in support of the resolution argued that it was not about taking sides, but rather about divesting from war and genocide. They emphasised that it was the least they could do in response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Some supporters pleaded with the council to ensure that their tax contributions would not fund what they described as the extermination of Palestinians. ….more
