Sinn Fein bid to halt display of Israeli colours on council buildings could push decision back until late November

In the meantime, the lighting which the councillors voted for cannot be displayed.

Specifically, ABC councillors voted 21 to 20 to approve a plan on Monday night to shine the colours of Israel’s flag onto three main public buildings: The Palace in Armagh, Craigavon Civic Centre, and the Civic Building in Banbridge.

Here is the exact wording of what councillors voted for:

• “That the three main Civic Buildings are lit up white and blue as soon as practical, for a seven-day period, as an expression of support and sign of solidarity with Israel following the Hamas terror attacks on Saturday October 7”;

• “A Book of Condolences is opened by the Lord Mayor which would afford an opportunity to those within the wider community to pay tribute to all the innocent victims in the Middle East at this time.”

However, nothing will happen for at least a week, because there is a seven-day “call-in” period, during which the decision can be challenged.

And now, if the DUP councillors on ABC council are correct, it could be virtually advent by the time such illumination is actually deployed, if the council has to fend off efforts to have the vote struck down.

Under the Local Government (Northern Ireland) Act 2014, councils must reconsider a decision if 15% of councillors submit a “call-in request” (Sinn Fein councillors make up roughly a third of ABC council).

This can be done on two grounds:

• A) “That the decision was not arrived at after proper consideration of the relevant facts or issues”:
• B) “That the decision would disproportionately affect adversely any section of the inhabitants of the district.”

A call-in must be submitted in writing by 10am on the fifth working day after the outcome of a vote is published – meaning the very earliest it could be submitted is 10am this Friday.

If and when such a call-in happens, it will begin a legal review of the decision to determine if it was lawful.

• Jerusalem native living in Northern Ireland: I fear tide will turn even more against us before we're done – as it always has

Once that review has concluded, and assuming it finds the decision was lawful, the decision will stand – but DUP group leader councillor Mark Baxter says it has to be tabled again for discussion by the council anyway.

The next full council meeting is on October 23.

But, if the lawyers are still drafting their legal advice at that time, then the vote would have to happen at the next meeting after that – which is not until November 27.

The website “Armagh i” reported that Sinn Fein “say they will challenge the decision”.

Sinn Fein councillor Liam Mackle told the News Letter “as far as I know” his party will call-in the decision.

And Mark Baxter said he is “99.9% sure” that Sinn Fein will do just that.

• Israel-Gaza violence: Prime Minister Rishi Sunak calls Palestinian protest in Belfast school 'malicious'

DUP councillor Stephen Moutray, who seconded the lighting proposal, said this would be “a cheap, spurious attempt to thwart what we'd brought forward”.

And councillor Baxter told the News Letter that this same mechanism is open to Sinn Fein on all of the Province’s 10 other councils to block or delay similar lighting schemes.

He told the News Letter: “That would be their cynical plan, because they know the call-in has no merit.

"They know we’ve just followed precedent, because we lit the buildings for the French terror attacks, we lit the buildings for the Manchester terror attacks, in the colours of the country the attacks were perpetrated against.

"Why they’ve seen this terrorist attack as different to those terrorist attacks really is a matter for themselves.

"It will cost in region of about £5,000 a call-in; from memory I think it’s £4,000, £5,000 every time you get barristers’ legal advice and all the officers’ time. Unreal.

"It [the lighting] can’t be done until we’ve follow that legal process. There’s nothing we can do about that. Which makes it pathetic.”

As to whether Sinn Fein would use the same mechanism to block Israeli lighting on other councils, he said: “Oh they will absolutely. That seems to be the ploy used. It just seems to be a tactic to delay it.”

When the DUP description of the call-in procedure as a “cheap delaying tactic” was put to Sinn Fein’s councillor Mackle, he said: “I’d think the DUP would be better focussed on getting back into government. You’d need to speak to the press office for anything further about it.”