Hampshire Court Upholds Northampton Divestment Resolution
A Hampshire Superior Court judge has dismissed a legal challenge to the city's divestment resolution, upholding a decision backed by residents and advocacy groups.
A Hampshire Superior Court judge has upheld Northampton's resolution to divest city funds from companies involved in what the resolution describes as human rights violations in Israel and Palestine, dismissing a legal challenge to the measure.
The resolution R-25.314 passed unanimously by the Northampton City Council last September and calls for the city to divest from entities that meet criteria for complicity in violations of international law and human rights, according to standards set by the American Friends Service Committee. The ruling is among the nation's first on municipal divestment from Israeli-related investments.
Thirty Northampton residents, including twenty members of the city's Jewish community, formally intervened in the lawsuit to defend the resolution. Over one hundred supporters gathered outside the courthouse before the hearing on August 26. Alisa Klein, a former city councilor who has lived in Northampton for more than three decades, said at a press conference that "it is not unprecedented nor is it illegal for a city to ensure its investments are not complicit in perpetrating harm."
Judi Wisch, a Jewish educator with more than two decades in Northampton, said she wanted to answer future questions about her actions during the conflict, according to the source material.
The resolution cites Amnesty International's 2022 conclusion that Israel imposes apartheid against Palestinians, and references a 2024 International Court of Justice ruling that Israel's occupation of Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem is illegal. The resolution states all states and international organizations have a legal obligation not to recognize or assist the occupation.
As of January 2025, Northampton held more than $70,000 in investments meeting the divestment criteria, including the First International Bank of Israel, which the resolution says finances expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank, and weapons manufacturer RTX, formerly known as Raytheon.