THE Government of Israel has been condemned by Clackmannanshire Council for its "illegal occupation" of Palestine's East Jerusalem and the West Bank, and blockade of Gaza.

Eleven out of 18 councillors backed the motion proposed by independent councillor Archie Drummond at Thursday's full council meeting.

He called for the council to welcome the decision by the United Nations to grant "non-member observer state" status to Palestine and "resist, insofar as legislative considerations permit, any action that gives political or economic support to the State of Israel".

Mr Drummond presented the motion after he was approached by the Forth Valley Palestine Group and compared the issue to the anti-apartheid campaign of South Africa.

He said, "Like the Samaritan of Christian mythology people of good faith did not pass by on the other side of the street back then and it is critical that today we 'look aboot us' and witness what is happening in Palestine." The majority of councillors backed the move on humanitarian grounds. Council leader Gary Womersley and Labour's Janet Cadenhead were among four councillors who abstained. The remaining councillors were not present.

Mr Womersley said he did not have a view on the issue and became a councillor to concentrate on solving local problems while Mrs Cadenhead said she would have backed the motion - believing in a two state solution - but that was before the Hamas leader vowed never to recognise Israel.