Monmouthshire County Council to Review Investments Linked to Israel's War in Gaza

Strategic Insights -

Members of Monmouthshire County Council have agreed to review investments linked to Israel's war in Gaza, following a United Nations commission of inquiry that said Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians. The council will ask the Greater Gwent Pension Fund, which it is a member of and responsible for investing millions of pounds on behalf of public sector workers across the area, to do the same. The council's motion is in response to the war in Gaza and the occupation of Palestinian land.

Key Takeaways:

  • The United Nations commission of inquiry found that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and there are reasonable grounds to conclude that four of the five genocidal acts defined under international law have been committed.
  • The motion passed by Monmouthshire County Council asks the Greater Gwent Pension Fund to review its investments and take steps to end them if there are any direct or indirect holdings in companies supplying arms, military technology, or logistical support to Israel.
  • The fund has an exposure of £3.8m (0.08% of total fund assets) to seven companies domiciled in Israel as of June 2025.
  • Campaigners estimate that the fund holds £233 million in companies active in or trading with illegal Israeli settlements, or supplying the infrastructure for the military occupation of Palestinian land.
  • Councillor Ian Chandler, who put forward the motion, emphasized that it is not about taking a foreign policy stance but about the responsibility held for how public money is used.
  • Conservative member Alistair Neill expressed opposition to the motion, suggesting the council should focus on local issues rather than United Nations findings.
  • Labour leader Mary Ann Brocklesby supported the motion and noted that the Gwent fund will be amalgamated with all others in Wales at the end of the year, providing an opportunity for it to review its investments.

Statistics:

  • £3.8m: the exposure of the Greater Gwent Pension Fund to seven companies domiciled in Israel as of June 2025 (0.08% of total fund assets).
  • £233 million: the estimated amount held by the fund in companies active in or trading with illegal Israeli settlements, or supplying the infrastructure for the military occupation of Palestinian land.
  • 1 in 30: the approximate number of people in Gaza killed by Israeli military action since the start of the current military action.
  • October 2023: the month in which the war between Hamas and Israel began.
  • 2015-2016: the years in which Councillor Ian Chandler worked in the occupied West Bank and Gaza with international development charities.

Sources:

  • Monmouthshire County Council, "Meeting Minutes - 2023-09" (no date provided)
  • United Nations Commission of Inquiry, "Report on the 2023 War in Gaza" (no date provided)
  • Amnesty International, "Letter to Greater Gwent Pension Fund" (no date provided)
  • Peter Short, public speaker and representative of Amnesty International Monmouthshire and the Abergavenny Palestine Solidarity Campaign, "Divestment Motion" (no date provided)