The Greens aren’t done yet — and their anti-Israel agenda is alive and well

On Tuesday, 17 June, Sydney’s Northern Beaches Council will debate a motion that has no business appearing on a local government agenda.

Brought forward by a Greens Councillor, the motion is a politically motivated, factually flawed, and deeply divisive document that seeks to drag another local council into the complex and emotionally charged waters of Middle East politics.

And if anyone thought the Greens had retreated after the federal election, this should serve as a wake-up call: they’re not done — and their anti-Israel agenda is as aggressive and out of touch as ever.

This motion calls for Council to take a formal position on the Israel–Gaza conflict, including a demand for a permanent ceasefire, a boycott of Israeli-linked companies, targeted support for Palestinian refugees on the Northern Beaches, and even an official commendation of activist groups aligned with the anti-Israel movement. This, in a chamber tasked with fixing footpaths, managing waste collection, and approving development applications.

Let me be clear: this is not a motion about peace. It is a motion about politics — specifically, the Greens’ politics.

It is hard to overstate how inappropriate this motion is. Local councils are not foreign ministries. They have neither the mandate nor the expertise to weigh in on international conflict — let alone adopt policies based on one-sided, ideologically driven narratives that ignore facts and inflame division.

Let’s take the motion at face value. It calls for a ceasefire — but fails to mention that Hamas has rejected at least three internationally brokered ceasefire proposals, each of which included humanitarian aid, a pause in hostilities, and the release of hostages. Israel agreed. Hamas said no. That matters.

It asks Council to write to the Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister, and local MPs to express support for Gaza. But local government has no role in foreign policy, and to pretend otherwise is not just inappropriate — it’s disrespectful to the residents who expect their Councillors to be dealing with local issues, not staging international protests.

Then there’s the call to boycott businesses allegedly “complicit” in human rights violations. This is nothing more than a backdoor attempt at promoting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign, which has been widely condemned by democracies across the world. If the proponents of this motion were serious about boycotting Israeli innovation, they’d need to give up their iPhones, laptops, solar and wind tech, cancer treatments, pacemakers, and water filtration systems. Israeli innovation is everywhere — not because of politics, but because of its value to humanity.

And while the motion claims to support refugees, it presents no evidence of a single Palestinian refugee being resettled on the Northern Beaches. Nor does it mention the millions suffering in other parts of the world — in Sudan, Syria, Yemen, Armenia, Ukraine, Afghanistan, or the Democratic Republic of Congo. Why are their stories left out?

Finally, the motion closes by commending the Gaza Surf Lifesaving Project — a project that may have once been symbolic of hope but is now being used as political cover for a broader anti-Israel agenda.

This motion is not about compassion. It is about ideology. And that ideology is not grounded in peace or justice — it is grounded in a relentless obsession with singling out the world’s only Jewish state for condemnation, while turning a blind eye to the brutal terrorism of Hamas and the suffering of Israeli civilians.

It is no coincidence that this motion is being led by the Greens. Despite their poor showing in areas like Warringah and Mackellar in the recent election, they appear determined to rebuild on a platform of identity politics and anti-Israel activism. If this is how they intend to regain relevance, they are doing so at the cost of truth, unity, and community harmony.

As a former Councillor, I know what Council chambers are meant to be. They are meant to be places of service — not symbols of division. They are meant to be about delivering for the community, not grandstanding on international issues that belong in Canberra, not Curl Curl.

This motion deserves to be rejected. Not just because it’s wrong — but because it represents everything local government should never become: performative, ideological, and dangerously out of touch.
We must remain acutely aware of what is happening at the local government level, because it is precisely here — at the grassroots — that these anti-Israel and antisemitic agendas often take root and begin to grow. Councils matter, and vigilance starts at home.

I urge every concerned resident and member of the community to make their voice heard. Email the Northern Beaches Councillors at [email protected] and demand they reject this divisive and inappropriate Notice of Motion.

Michael Gencher is the Executive Director of StandWithUs Australia and a former Northern Beaches Councillor.