CALLS have been made to un-twin Bournemouth with an Israeli city as its war with Palestine rages on.
Green councillor Joe Salmon is calling on the charter trustees for Bournemouth to cut ties with the coastal town of Netanya, with which it has been twinned since 1995.
Cllr Salmon said the idea of twinning is “rooted in fostering mutual respect, cultural exchange and the promotion of peace and understanding” but argues Israel has not shown this.
He said: “When the actions and policies of a sister town’s nation contradict these values, it becomes imperative to reconsider and potentially sever such ties.
“Currently, the ongoing human rights violations, system of apartheid imposed on Palestinians in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories and the plausible case for genocide submitted to the ICJ necessitate a reassessment of our twinning relationship with our sister town in Israel.”
Palestine Residents Movement activists have also backed the motion, which will be discussed by Bournemouth councillors at a meeting on Wednesday, July 17.
Bournemouth resident Bilal Yasin, originally from Palestine, said her new town being twinned with Netanya “pains [her] deeply”.
“Netanya was built on the ethnically cleansed town of Umm Khalid and named after Nathan Straus, who funded the colonial settlements there,” she said.
“The apartheid regime and ongoing human rights violations committed by the Israeli government are a stark reality for my people.”
She added: “Un-twinning from Netanya is a crucial step in standing against injustice and supporting the values of human dignity and equality.”
Meanwhile Besho Al-Masri added by cutting ties with Israel, “we can stand in solidarity with those who are suffering and send a strong message against human rights abuses”.
She said: “It is crucial for Bournemouth to align its values with justice and equality, and this step is essential in that direction."
And mother Rania Al Shakaa said: “This relationship sends the wrong message to the children of our community.
“For the sake of our children's future and the principles we stand for, I urge immediate action to un-twin Bournemouth from Netanya."
In nine months of bombardment and offensives in Gaza, Israel has killed more than 38,200 people and wounded more than 88,000, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count.
Nearly the entire population has been driven from their homes. Many have been displaced multiple times. Hundreds of thousands are packed into sweltering tent camps.
Israel’s onslaught was triggered by Hamas’ cross-border raid on October 7, during which militants killed 1,200 people in southern Israel, most of them civilians, according to Israeli authorities.
The militants took roughly 250 people hostage. About 120 are still in captivity, with about a third said to be dead.
Back home, signs celebrating the twinning remain missing after the were suddenly removed by an unknown person or group in April.
However, the Netanya sign in New Road has been found and returned back onto the Welcome to Bournemouth sign.
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