A California city in the San Francisco Bay became the first in the nation Oct. 25 to officially back the Palestinian people of Gaza against what officials say is a “campaign of apartheid and collective punishment” by Israel.
The Richmond City Council voted in the early morning hours to support the resolution after a lengthy public hearing that started the evening of Oct 24.
“Last night, the Richmond city council took a historic vote in support of the Palestinian people of Gaza, who are currently facing a campaign of apartheid and collective punishment by the state of Israel,” Richmond Mayor Eduardo Martinez wrote in a social media post on Oct. 25.
The mayor posted the statement on Facebook following the vote and received several comments against the decision, with some calling him a Nazi.
In his statement, the mayor said the proclamation was for peace and humanity and the city—which has an estimated population of 114,000—had a history of taking stands on international issues, including Ukraine, South Africa, and Tibet. He also acknowledged the local Jewish community and said hatred of Jewish people was still a significant issue in California.
“However, I reject the notion that speaking out against the actions of Israel’s military and right-wing government is anti-Semitic,” Mr. Martinez wrote in the online statement. “We should never stay silent on the oppression of any group.”
The terrorist group Hamas invaded Israel Oct. 7 in a brutal attack killing an estimated 1,400 people and injuring about 5,000—mostly civilians. The group also kidnapped some 220 people who are being held hostage.
Israel declared war on Hamas and has since waged a full-scale campaign to eliminate the terror organization in Gaza.
The resolution calls Israel’s actions a “war crime” and asserts Israel is engaging in collective punishment against the Palestinian people in Gaza by shutting off access to electricity, drinking water, food, and humanitarian aid.
Before the meeting, Contra Costa County Board of Supervisor John Gioia issued a statement against the city’s resolution, saying it failed to condemn Hamas’ killings. He recommended the city council play a leadership role to bring Muslim and Jewish communities together.
“The proposed resolution fails to condemn the terrorist Hamas’ killing of innocent Israeli men, women, and children, which unfortunately started this recent brutal warfare,” Mr. Gioia said in a letter sent to city councilors Oct. 24. “I believe it is important at times like these to bring our community together rather than create divisiveness. The passage of any resolution, regardless of attempts to amend it, will only contribute to the divisiveness.”
About 30 miles east in Walnut Creek, California, Councilman Kevin Wilk, who is Jewish, also publicly opposed the measure, asking Richmond city councilors to pull it from consideration.
“I fear that the Resolution as worded, is highly biased about the Israel-Hamas conflict, and will only further enflame tensions locally, which I’m sure you don’t want to see,” Mr. Wilk wrote in a letter to the Richmond City Council. “Without getting into all the inflammatory statements using phrases like ‘ethnic cleansing’ and ‘genocide’ are highly offensive and not agreed upon by any means.”
