0
0
State College council withdraws resolution calling for cease-fire in Israel-Hamas war
The State College Borough Council won’t consider a resolution calling for an immediate de-escalation and permanent cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war after the proposal drew an impassioned response from community members.
The 4-2 vote to withdraw the resolution came Monday night at a special council meeting and two weeks after council member Gopal Balachandran put up a draft resolution. That draft was withdrawn by Balachandran during a Nov. 20 meeting that saw many people speak in public comment, both in support and in opposition to the measure. The council then voted unanimously to add a resolution with new language to the Dec. 4 meeting agenda.
The resolution on the table Monday stated the borough:
- “Condemns antisemitism, Islamophobia and racism in all its forms;
- Expresses sympathy for all the civilian victims and those affected by the violence;
- Urges the Biden Administration to immediately call for a permanent, bilateral ceasefire to end the violence in the region with the release of all civilians being illegally held or imprisoned on both sides of the conflict, along with the establishment of humanitarian corridors and humanitarian assistance into Gaza; and
- Calls upon the Biden Administration to negotiate for a fair peace for Israelis and Palestinians, which respects the human rights of all.”
Speaking to a packed council chambers, Balachandran explained his reasons for bringing forth the resolution, saying his desire for a cease-fire “comes from a pretty straightforward impulse.”
“I really want to stop seeing the killing of children, which is occurring at a very large and unique scale, according to reporting from various sources,” he said. “And, I want to add, I want to see the hostages who are currently held in Gaza returned. I also worry about deeper humanitarian issues involving lack of water, so on and so forth, and I also strongly believe in non-violence and believe that an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind, in the words of Gandhi.”
The State College Borough Council voted to withdraw a resolution calling for an immediate de-escalation and permanent cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war on Dec. 4, 2023. Halie Kines/hkines@centredaily.com
He said he appreciated and respected the community coming out to speak their opinions on the resolution.
With more than 60 people in attendance and more online, time constraints allowed about nine people to speak during public comment Monday. They included Penn State professors, students and other residents from State College and the surrounding area, some of whom supported the measure and others who questioned the impact it could have on the community.
After public comment, State College Mayor Ezra Nanes, who is not a voting member of council, asked council members not to pass the resolution. He said the attempt to write something that is “healing and unifying for this community” was unsuccessful.
“We have a duty to serve all members of this community. And this is a resolution, it is a statement of values, it’s a position on a political situation. It is not zoning. Zoning we disagree, there are winners and losers. Lighting above a football field, there are winners and losers, but we disagree and we agreed to live together. This is a different matter, because it is a statement of values, of morals, that the council does not have to issue for us to all say what we think and feel. So I’m saying this because I personally do not feel we can pass a resolution and do our job as council. And so I’m asking council to withdraw the resolution,” Nanes said.
Pia Smal, a borough resident, said she’s not “for any war,” but said during public comment that she had concerns about the resolution. The borough’s focus should be on creating a safe, inclusive and just community for everyone, because many who live here do not currently feel that way, she said.
“The resolution calls for an immediate de-escalation and permanent cease-fire in Israel and Palestine. Nowhere in the resolution do you name Hamas, which falsely implies that this is a war against Palestine and not a war against terrorism or a response to the terrorist act, which saw the murder of 1,200 civilians, the rape of dozens of men and women and the kidnapping of 247 men, women and children,” Smal said. “Secondly, I implore you to consider the resolution that this impact might have on our community. We are a globally and religiously diverse community, with many of our community members having ties to both Israel and Palestine. I question the decision to put forth this statement and I question who is invited to the table to draft it.”
Tamir Sorek, a Penn State professor who specializes in Israel/Palestine history and society, supported the cease-fire resolution.
“If you want to save the life of Israelies and Palestinains, we have to call for an immediate cease-fire, immediate de-escalation, because the way we’re going will end in a genocide of one side or even the other. And therefore, even though I agree that State College is not directly involved, but this is a moral emergency for everyone,” Sorek said.
Others questioned why the resolution is something that the council is considering at all, and argued that it doesn’t relate to their jobs as council members and their actions won’t have an impact on the war.
Council member Nalini Krishnankutty, who voted against withdrawing the resolution with Balachandran, said people are closest to their local governments, such as borough councils, and people across the nation have asked their city councils to pass similar resolutions. She said they heard from Penn State students who had family members missing due to the war, so there is a local impact, too.
“So for us to say, does this have local impact or not? We know that it does. We heard from a professor who was online last (meeting), to talk about their students facing Islamophobia, antisemitism, there are national statistics that show both on the rise. So there is local impact,” she said.
Council President Jesse Barlow said this has weighed heavily on him. He agreed with the resolution but didn’t think his opinion of it should be the opinion of the borough or the council.
“I think that if I do express my opinion, I will show up in the public square like all of you are able to do,” Barlow said. “I have a lot of respect for Mr. Balachandran in putting forward this resolution, I have a lot of respect for his courage for doing so.”
Jersey City council to vote on resolution calling for cease-fire in Gaza
Jersey City Heights Councilman Yousef Saleh will present a resolution calling for President Joe Biden to demand a permanent cease-fire in the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israeli forces and Hamas.
The war began Oct. 7 when Hamas staged unprovoked attacks in southern Israel and took roughly 240 hostages. More than 13,300 Palestinians have been killed since the war began, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry in Gaza. About 1,200 people have been killed in Israel, mostly during the initial incursion by Hamas.
Oakland City Council unanimously passes resolution calling for permanent cease-fire in Gaza
OAKLAND — On Monday night, the Oakland City Council passed a resolution calling for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza.
The resolution — getting unanimous support from the council — calls for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza. That was enough to bring both Israel and Palestinian supporters to City Hall to engage in a battle of words. More than 500 people signed up to speak at the meeting.
But unlike Richmond’s inflammatory resolution in October that pointed the finger at Israel, accusing it of an “ethnic cleansing campaign,” Oakland’s statement recognizes the losses on both sides without really taking a side.
“This is about protecting children and families from Gaza to Israel,” said councilmember Noel Gallo in an interview. “And certainly, we recognize the problem with Hamas in terms of initiating the violence, but at the same time, we’re asking for peace. Peace and protect the families, the residents of Gaza and so forth. And we’re sending our recommendation up to the state legislators as well as the federal government. That’s what this is about.”
The resolution calls for Congress and the US government to demand a permanent cease-fire, something Israeli president Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected. Tyler Gregory, CEO of the Jewish Community Resource Center, said a declared cease-fire would allow Hamas to rearm and would not guarantee the return of all hostages.
“What we’re concerned about is, calling for an immediate cease-fire without the return of the hostages home while Hamas is still in power just doesn’t really add up,” he said. “So, we’re hoping to make some amendments today that set the record straight.”
But Ellen Brotsky, a protester with Jewish Voice for Peace, said, while it’s good to see a truce while hostages and prisoners are exchanged, the attacks on Palestinian neighborhoods cannot be allowed to resume.
“I think we have to keep the pressure up,” she said. “Because, so far, it’s still a temporary cease-fire and that’s not satisfactory. What we can’t have happen is for the cease-fire to end and Israel to go back to visiting its violence on the people in Gaza.”
As both sides battle for the hearts and minds of the American public, the idea of a cease-fire seems like a simple idea that can be infinitely complex.
“We understand that we want an end to the violence,” said Gregory. “We’re asking that a cease-fire include a return of all the Israeli hostages that Hamas kidnapped and that we remove terrorism — Hamas — from control of Gaza. We need to get back to peace building, peacemaking and that’s not going to happen with a terrorist organization.”
“Nobody’s condoning what Hamas did,” said Brotsky. “But what we are saying is the disproportionate, violent, and I would say, genocidal response from the Israeli government is what has to stop right now. And that’s what a cease-fire will do, and both sides have to agree to a cease-fire.”
Of course, that’s the challenge. But maybe the city of Oakland can find a way to end the violence in the Middle East even if it can’t do the same on its own streets.
Average Rating