Key Takeaways
- • Birmingham City Council councillors voted to back a proposal to seek withdrawal from financial investments linked to Israel, according to the BBC.
- • The motion was proposed by independent councillor Nosheen Khalid, a member of the Better Birmingham Group, part of the ruling coalition, who also serves as the council's cabinet member for health and social care.
- • The motion calls for a six-month review of investments held by Birmingham City Council and the West Midlands Pension Fund, with options to withdraw on human rights grounds.
- • Khalid argued that "where money goes, responsibility follows," linking the proposal to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Summary
Councillors in Birmingham have voted in favour of a proposal to seek withdrawal from any financial investments linked to Israel, the BBC reported. The motion was proposed by independent councillor Nosheen Khalid, a member of the Better Birmingham Group, which sits within the ruling coalition, and the council's cabinet member for health and social care. Some members in the council chamber cheered when the motion was carried.
The motion calls for a six-month review of investments made by Birmingham City Council and the West Midlands Pension Fund. The review would examine options for the council to withdraw from those connections on human rights grounds. Referring to the war in Gaza, Khalid said that "where money goes, responsibility follows."
The proposal comes against the backdrop of the Gaza conflict. A ceasefire took effect in Gaza in October 2025, but Israel has continued air strikes almost every day, according to the BBC. More than 1,500 people have been killed since the ceasefire, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry. The conflict was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage. Since then, more than 74,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the area's health ministry, many of them civilians. Israel says it is targeting Hamas operatives and accuses Hamas of continued violations of the ceasefire.
The motion calls for a six-month review of investments made by Birmingham City Council and the West Midlands Pension Fund. The review would examine options for the council to withdraw from those connections on human rights grounds. Referring to the war in Gaza, Khalid said that "where money goes, responsibility follows."
The proposal comes against the backdrop of the Gaza conflict. A ceasefire took effect in Gaza in October 2025, but Israel has continued air strikes almost every day, according to the BBC. More than 1,500 people have been killed since the ceasefire, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry. The conflict was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage. Since then, more than 74,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the area's health ministry, many of them civilians. Israel says it is targeting Hamas operatives and accuses Hamas of continued violations of the ceasefire.
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