What response should be given to Council motions on Gaza?

Apart from Haringey which has already been noted on this site, various other Council meetings are debating motions concerning Gaza. Oxford, Preston, Edinburgh. There are Councils in Northern Ireland where Sinn Fein councillors have tabled motions attacking Israel.

Many will be tempted to engage in the debate have strong feelings on the matter raised. But surely the correct response is to vote against such motions on the simple basis that Councils should not adopt their own foreign policy. The time spent at Council meetings should be regarded as precious. There should be emough to occupy overseeing the hundreds of millions of pounds a Council typically spend delivering vital services to its residents. Highly paid Council officers sit there, on overtime, waiting to be held to account and find themselves listening to speeches about the Middle East.

One proviso is where the motion is relevant because it concerns the impact locally of what has happened in Gaza. Conservative councillors in Brent tabled a motion condemning anti semitic attacks in their borough including at the Brondesbury Park synagogue and on school children travelling to the JFS.