Northern Beaches Councillors voted down a ceasefire and divest from Israel motion on June 17. Greens Councillors Ethan Hrnjak and Miranda Korzy had proposed the pro-Palestine resolution, the first to be tabled in that council.
Beforehand, an action organised by Northern Beaches for Palestine, supported by the City of Sydney for Palestine, drew local supporters. Northern Beaches Committee for Palestine also bought in supporters.
The five-point motion asked council to support government calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza to prevent further loss of life. It called on council to formally advise several federal MPs, including independent MPs Dr Sophie Scamps and Zali Steggall, of the council’s stance.
The motion also called on council to disclose and divest from Israel by “utiliz(ing) its procurement processes to avoid companies listed by the UN [United Nations] as complicit in human rights violations in Gaza”.
Northern Beaches Committee for Palestine, North Stynes Surf-Riding Club and Northern Beaches for Palestine have been promoting solidarity with Gaza since 2016, through the Gaza Nippers program which, since 2023, has trained Gazan children how to surf. Since Israel’s latest genocide at least eight Gaza Nippers children have been killed.
The motion commended the work of the Gaza Surf Lifesaving Project and asked council to reaffirm its commitment to stand up for an inclusive and connected community (Goal 9 of the new Community Strategic Plan) and unequivocally condemn all acts of antisemitism and Islamophobia.
Inside the meeting, a Zionist alleged that pro-Palestine supporters had “come to burn the Jews”.
The Palestine motion was debated for more than four hours, with four Greens councillors voting for it: Bonnie Harvey (Manly Ward); Kristyn Glanville (Curl Curl Ward); Ethan Hrnjak (Frenchs Forest Ward); and Miranda Korzy (Pittwater Ward). Eight councillors voted against, including the Deputy Mayor, and three abstained.
While council did not adopt the ceasefire and disclose motion, its tabling reveals the growing push for local government to use their procurement policies to take a stand against genocide.
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