CALLS for Strathclyde Pension Fund to end investment in companies linked to war crimes in Palestine have been issued by a West Dunbartonshire SNP councillor.
Councillor Lauren Oxley will present her motion at full council this week, asking members to express their “strong condemnation” of Israel’s ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people and urging the Fund to review its investment portfolio.
According to its website, the Strathclyde Pension Fund (SPF) office is "dedicated to making sure all pension benefits are paid in line with the rules and regulations, all members have the pensions information they need and the pensions interests of our members and employers are managed and protected".
But councillor Oxley is concerned about the “escalating humanitarian crisis” in Gaza and the West Bank.
Her motion reads: “The findings of the United Nations, Amnesty International, and other human rights organisations [show] that Israel’s actions constitute war crimes and serious violations of international law.”
Since October 2023, the Ministry of Health in Gaza has reported that over 58,500 Palestinians have been killed and more than 139,600 injured by Israeli forces.
As of July 16, 2025, more than 86% of the Gaza Strip falls within Israeli-militarised zones or has been subjected to displacement orders.
Gaza has now been described as facing an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, with over 80% of the population facing food insecurity, with experts warning the region is on the brink of famine as conditions are classified as extreme starvation.
The motion continues: “[This] council understands that the Strathclyde Pension Fund – one of Europe’s largest pension funds with over 277,000 members – continues to invest in companies that supply arms, military technology, or other support used in Israel’s war crimes and violations, including those operating in illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
“[The] council believes pension funds should not be invested in companies complicit in breaches of international law, particularly amid this ongoing and escalating crisis. Our investments must reflect our commitment to justice, human rights, and ethical governance.
“[The] council therefore asks the Leader of the Council to write to the Strathclyde Pension Fund Committee to express our strong condemnation of Israel’s ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people, and to urge the Fund to review its investment portfolio and divest from companies linked to or complicit in Israel’s war crimes and violations of international law.”
