Britain’s largest public sector pension investment pool quietly sold millions of dollars worth of Israeli government bonds after months of pressure from pro-Palestinian campaigners, according to a report by Middle East Eye.Border to Coast Pension Partnership, which manages approximately £120 billion of assets on behalf of approximately two million local government employees, had purchased approximately $29.2 million worth of Israeli government bonds due between 2024 and 2025.The investments were subsequently sold within months, although the organization did not publicly announce the divestment or provide detailed information at the time.According to Middle East Eye, campaigners associated with local government pension schemes discovered the investments while investigating how pension funds were being managed during the Gaza War.Activists from groups including the South Yorkshire Pension Divest for Palestine campaign said they were concerned that pension money was invested in Israeli government bonds, while Israel faced allegations of war crimes and genocide in Gaza.Campaigners organized protests, petitions and pressure campaigns throughout 2025 targeting local pensions authorities and from border to coast.The Israeli bond purchases were made through Pimco, a US-based asset management firm and one of the world’s largest bond managers, the report said.Border to Coast later confirmed that the bonds were sold, but declined to say whether campaign pressure had directly influenced the decision.A spokesperson for the pension partnership said the organization continues to monitor the impact of the Israel-Gaza conflict on investments “in line with our views on ESG issues and our responsible investment policies”.The issue also highlighted wider tensions within UK pension funds over investments linked to the Gaza conflict and the lack of direct guidance from the British government.The planning advisory board for the Local Government Pension Scheme reportedly sought clarification from ministers regarding potential legal liabilities linked to Gaza-related investments.Local Government Minister Alison McGovern later said that foreign policy decisions, including sanctions and divestment policies, were a matter for central government, rather than local authorities.However, he said pension funds may still change investment strategies for financial or fiduciary reasons.The report said Border to Coast still retained investments in several companies listed on the UN database of businesses operating in illegal Israeli settlements, including Airbnb, Booking.com and Bank Leumi.Campaigners have continued to urge further divestment from Israeli settlements and companies linked to the Gaza conflict.