A total of 33 speakers came forward to speak about the continuing war in Gaza during the Public Input on Non Agenda Items section in Tuesday’s City Council meeting. Only six came to speak on other topics. This comes as today, Wednesday, tensions escalated at the University of Southern California where pro-Palestinian protesters clashed with police and campus security. Moreover, University of Texas students also clashed with police today as they too protested.
Prior to last night’s City Council meeting, the peace and social justice movement Codepink encouraged community members in a statement sent by email to call “on the city council to pass a ceasefire resolution in solidarity with the growing global movement advocating for an end to the US backed genocide in Gaza.”
On October 7, last year, Hamas — a Palestinian Sunni Islamist political and military movement that has governed the Gaza Strip since 2007 — chose the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah to launch a deadly attack on the people of Israel. The next day, Israel declared war.
What has followed since then is, in essence, a no holds barred, non-stop exchange of fire that has killed thousands of innocent people as hospitals and refugee camps have been decimated.
The Israeli military expanded its ground operations despite warnings from the Biden administration that a full-scale assault could cause heavy civilian casualties and the UN human rights office has expressed “serious concerns that these are disproportionate attacks that could amount to war crimes.”
The fact that all this is taking place some 7,575 miles away from Santa Monica didn’t stop residents from sharing their thoughts and opinions.
“Ceasefire resolutions were passed in more than 100 cities, including many in LA County and have been endorsed by 600 rabbis, including Rabbi Aryeh Cohen who also endorsed ours,” said Victoria Best, representing Justice for Palestine LA. “This is an ongoing issue dating back to 1948 with the creation of Israel and the expulsion of the Palestinians,” she added.
Best said that the resolution calls on members of Congress to demand five things:
• An immediate and permanent ceasefire
• Negotiated release of all Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners
• Adherence to international law, which requires unrestricted entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza
• Strict resumption of US funding to the UN Relief and Works Agency
• Future arms shipments to Israel be made conditional on compliance with US and international law
“It is our moral responsibility to demand that our government stop supplying the weapons, stop enforcing the starvation, stop the terror being inflicted on civilian men, women and children of Palestine. We asked the city council to join our call for a permanent ceasefire,” said Dorothy Chapman.
The City of Santa Monica has no legal authority over international relations, the resolution is a statement of opinion reflecting the Council’s priorities. Since other cities in California have in fact done this, those protesting hope that a critical mass of sorts might be achieved and ultimately influence other politicians at higher levels of government.
The Daily Press reached out to the City to ask exactly what was being considered, if anything, but received no information by production deadline.