Louth cllr 'deeply disappointed' Palestine motion deferred

Cllr Emma Cutlip has said that she is "deeply disappointed" that her motion at the Louth County Council January meeting, declaring solidarity with the people of Palestine and all people who rely on the fourth Geneva Convention for protection, was deferred for a month.

Following a lengthy Council meeting last Monday, all statutory business was not met within the allocated time and as such, standing orders were suspended in order to hear the statutory elements of the agenda. Motions by councillors are not statutory business and therefore no motions by councillors on Monday's agenda were heard and are now deferred until the March meeting. 

The Labour councillor's motion reads: "This council declares its solidarity with the Palestinian people and all protected people who are subject to war, armed conflict, or occupation and who require reliance on the protections afforded to civilians under the Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, 1949 (the fourth Geneva Convention).

"This council recognizes that through its day-to-day operation it invests and purchases goods and services with public monies in a wide range of ways.

"Therefore, this council shall divest itself of all investments, holdings, procurement, or purchasing of goods or services which have originated in whole or in part from occupying powers as defined by the fourth Geneva Convention."

Following last Monday's meeting, Cllr Cutlip said that "I am deeply disappointed that this important issue was not able to be heard today. I cannot help but think of how much money will be spent in the intervening time buying products and services that profiti from illegal settlement and contribute to the destruction of Palestine.