US city councils increasingly call for Israel-Gaza ceasefire, analysis shows
By Aurora Ellis
Jan 31 (Reuters) – Some 70 U.S. cities, including Chicago and Seattle, have passed resolutions on the Israel-Gaza war with most calling for a ceasefire, a Reuters analysis of city data shows, placing more pressure on President Joe Biden ahead of a November general election to help end the fighting.
At least 48 cities have passed symbolic resolutions calling for a halt to Israel’s Gaza bombardment, with six others passing resolutions advocating more broadly for peace. At least 20 have passed resolutions condemning Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, which sparked the current bloodshed, the data shows.
Most of the ceasefire resolutions have passed in Democratic states like California, though at least 14 have passed in swing states like Michigan that could be decisive in Biden’s re-election bid against Republican former President Donald Trump.
Biden’s administration has rebuffed calls for a ceasefire, something supported by a majority of Americans, arguing that an Israeli halt would embolden Hamas. Critics of the city resolutions say they have no tangible effect on national policy and distract from domestic issues.
Gabriela Santiago-Romero, a Detroit council member who voted to pass a ceasefire resolution in Michigan’s biggest city in November, said it reflected frustration, particularly by younger officials and people of color, with Biden and other national Democratic party leaders.
“We want leadership that is willing to listen to us,” Santiago-Romero said.
Democrats should “listen to young people, invest in diversity, invest in people that are values aligned who actually listen to their constituents,” she added.
Asked for comment, the White House, which has said it is pressing Israel to avoid civilian casualties in Gaza, referred to previous statements that a ceasefire would only benefit Hamas.
On Wednesday, Chicago became the largest city to call for ceasefire in a tight vote where Mayor Brandon Johnson broke a 23-23 tie to get the resolution passed.
Reuters compiled data from 70 cities that have passed Israel-Gaza resolutions or proclamations since Oct. 7, when Hamas militants killed some 1,200 people in Israel and took 253 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. They range from major cities like San Francisco to smaller cities such as Carrboro, North Carolina, and Biden’s hometown of Wilmington, Delaware.
Many of the ceasefire calls are modeled after Missouri congresswoman Cori Bush’s “Ceasefire Now” resolution, which also urges the release of hostages and an increase of aid into Gaza, where health officials say Israeli bombardment has killed more than 26,600 Palestinians.
At least nine of the ceasefire calls were in Michigan, where Arab Americans account for 5% of the vote and Biden’s 2020 margin of victory over Trump was less than 3%. An October poll showed Biden’s support among Arab Americans had plunged to 17% from 59% in 2020.
“This (war) is something that’s going to be on voters’ minds,” said Douglas Wilson, a Democratic strategist in the swing state of North Carolina.
“It’s gonna be an issue here and in all the swing states because of the Muslim populations in these states, the Jewish populations in these states and the Black and brown population these states,” Wilson said.
‘TAKE A STANCE’
Hamas said on Tuesday it had received and was studying a new proposal for a ceasefire and release of hostages in Gaza, presented by mediators after talks with Israel, in what appeared to be the most serious peace initiative for months.
U.S. support for Israel throughout the war has sharply divided Americans, sparking protests in U.S. cities in support of both Israel and Gaza. However, a Reuters poll last year found bipartisan support for a ceasefire.
Some critics of the city ceasefire calls say they’re premature, citing the brutality of Hamas’ attacks.
“We can’t have a ceasefire (with) a terrorist organization that’s committed to doing this again,” said Tyler Gregory, head of San Francisco’s Jewish Community Relations Council, which has condemned the calls as one-sided.
“(These) resolutions are not only fanning the flames of hate, they’re creating stronger tensions,” Gregory said, pointing to a rise in antisemitic incidents in the U.S. since Oct. 7.
At least some city officials said the ceasefire calls had support from Jewish constituents.
San Francisco Board Supervisor Hillary Ronen said hundreds of Jewish and Muslim residents urged her to vote in favor of a resolution that passed in the city, one of the largest to approve it.
“For people like me, Jewish people with family members in Israel, it’s extra important for us to take a stance against this war,” Ronen said.
Mohammed Khader, policy manager with U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights Action, said advocates “hope that those empowered with local state or federal voting power will acknowledge their Palestinian constituents.”
Analysts cautioned that while much could change before the Nov. 5 election, local frustration with Biden could hurt him at the polls by suppressing turnout.
Nadia Brown, a professor of government at Georgetown University, said that many Democratic activists “don’t see voting or doing things at a national level as a way to get things they like.”
Brown added: “And if they don’t see that now, will they see that in November? I don’t think so.”
Reporting by Aurora Ellis; editing by Rami Ayyub and Alistair Bell; Editing by David Gregorio and Miral Fahmy
March 6, 2024 by rabbibrian • Uncategorized
BACKGROUND
Even before October 7, American Jews and our allies were battling an unprecedented increase in antisemitic events across the U.S. Since the Hamas Oct. 7 atrocities, however, those incidents have only increased, including organized efforts to undermine the Jewish state and to harass and marginalize Jews in general.
One form of attack involves well-funded and well-organized national initiatives that target city councils and city council members across the country. These efforts urge local elected officials to pass unilateral ceasefire resolutions with language that neglects to demand the immediate and safe return of more than 130 hostages still in captivity, fails to properly identify Hamas as a terrorist organization and demand its dissolution, and denies Israel’s sovereignty and right to defend itself and its people from repeated massacres.
These efforts are aggressive, often including threats and intimidation. In many cities, local officials are being prevented from doing the work they were elected to do, and local business owners have often been prohibited from holding events in Jewish spaces or hosting Jewish musical or dramatic performances in cities all over our country.
I have not mentioned the hundreds of incidents on American college campuses, targeting Jews or Israel or both.
This is bullying, plain and simple.
Watching these efforts play out across the country, we know that even when such a local city resolution passes, not only does it have zero positive effect on the conflict in the Middle East – as foreign affairs is not the purview of city councils – but it increases divisiveness in the community and directly fuels anti-Jewish hate.
The American Jewish community, through a taskforce of professionals and volunteers, has been working to educate mayors and city councils on these issues and to keep these resolutions off the agenda.
It is extremely important for local Jewish citizens to have our voices heard.
We hope that the La Crosse City Council will follow the lead of many such councils across the country, and resolve to not engage in foreign affairs such as a ceasefire resolution, and return their focus to the important issues and needs of the city which they can impact.
As this situation continues to unfold, we have received several inquiries from members of the community about how they can help. We strongly encourage people to make their voices heard and exercise their right to participate in our local government, and we want people to do so as safely as possible.
Again, we are grateful that our own community has not been threatened in any way. Your CSOA security team is working with law enforcement, architects and security firms to keep us safe.
Please feel free to share any of your concerns and ideas with me.
I wish you a peaceful week.
Rabbi Brian Serle