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Agenda Item
1 23-0935 Subject: Affirming Oakland's Support For The Congressional And Worldwide Calls For Immediate Ceasefire In Gaza
From: Councilmember Fife
Recommendation: Adopt A Resolution Affirming Oakland's Love Life Commitment And Support For The Congressional And Worldwide Calls For An Immediate Ceasefire In Gaza
As an American Jew and an Oakland resident in District 1, I ask the City Council to PLEASE pass this resolution adding our voices to the international call for a ceasefire now. With well over 11,000 innocent Palestinians dead within the past five weeks and thousands more injured, missing and forever traumatized, the United States should not wait another day to demand a ceasefire from the Israeli government. Oppression and violence breed further violence and this genocidal war will only make the world less safe for all—Palestinians, Jews and everyone else in diaspora around the globe. As Oakland's representatives, I implore you to listen to your constituents, officially pass this resolution and call for an end to Israel's violent settler colonialism.
I am 100% in support of this resolution. The attack by Hamas on Oct 7 was obviously beyond horrific. This is indisputable. It is nevertheless indefensible to take vengeance for that crime by committing a worse on. The bombing, the withholding of water and fuel, and the forced expulsion of Gazans are crimes against humanity and must not be tolerated. We in the US must do everything in our power to encourage Israeli leadership to stop the slaughter in Gaza before they destroy any possibility for peace for their citizens and end up provoking a larger war.
Adding my unwavering support to this resolution. It may feel like we are hopelessly thousands of miles away, but we have to use every avenue of power we have to speak out and stand in solidarity with the people of Gaza. Local politics are PEOPLE POWER, and this is far and away the will of the people in Oakland! I am writing this as a resident of Oakland District 4. This occupation is violence. Displacing people, blockading food, water and humanitarian aid is are war crimes and the people of Oakland say NO! Not on our dollar, not for anyone, anywhere, ever. Not now, and not for the past decades. Anyone who is interested in peace knows that this violence is making the region more unsafe - more unsafe for Palestinians, Jews, Israelis, and folks in their diasporas. The people of Gaza deserve life and dignity. They are not pawns in a military revenge plot, or a settler dream, or regional geopolitical positioning. Thank you to my District Councilmember for their support of this resolution.
As a youth environmental Justice organizer and resident of District 3 in Oakland, I implore you to pass this resolution condemning the genocide in Gaza and calling for an immediate ceasefire. We cannot remain silent as a city. Silence is complicity. 47% of the 2.2 million people living in Gaza are children under 18. Churches, Mosques, hospitals, schools, evacuation routes and residential buildings have all been decimated by Israel’s constant bombardment of Gaza that has killed more than 13,500 people and internally displaced 1.7 million people. Every hour 15 people are killed - 6 are children, 35 people are injured, 42 bombs are dropped, and 12 buildings are destroyed according to AlJazeera. This is collective punishment which is a war crime under international law. This is a genocide unfolding before our eyes, which is funded and enabled by the United States government. California has sent over $600 million in weapons to Israel in 2023. This is equivalent to 6.1 million dollars of Oakland taxpayer dollars annually that could instead fund life affirming resources in our city. This is an urgent Oakland issue your constituents care deeply about and will hold you accountable for. We need thank you for putting this resolution forward and encourage you to strengthen the language to condemn Israeli settler-colonialism and apartheid and call for the end of all U.S. aid to Israel. A ceasefire without an end to this settler colonialist occupation is not enough.
As an American Jew and an Oakland resident in District 1, I ask the City Council to PLEASE pass this resolution adding our voices to the international call for a ceasefire now. With well over 11,000 innocent Palestinians dead within the past five weeks and thousands more injured, missing and forever traumatized, the United States should not wait another day to demand a ceasefire from the Israeli government. Oppression and violence breed further violence and this genocidal war will only make the world less safe for all—Palestinians, Jews and everyone else in diaspora around the globe. As Oakland's representatives, I implore you to listen to your constituents, officially pass this resolution and call for an end to Israel's violent settler colonialism.
I am 100% in support of this resolution. The attack by Hamas on Oct 7 was obviously beyond horrific. This is indisputable. It is nevertheless indefensible to take vengeance for that crime by committing a worse on. The bombing, the withholding of water and fuel, and the forced expulsion of Gazans are crimes against humanity and must not be tolerated. We in the US must do everything in our power to encourage Israeli leadership to stop the slaughter in Gaza before they destroy any possibility for peace for their citizens and end up provoking a larger war.
Adding my unwavering support to this resolution. It may feel like we are hopelessly thousands of miles away, but we have to use every avenue of power we have to speak out and stand in solidarity with the people of Gaza. Local politics are PEOPLE POWER, and this is far and away the will of the people in Oakland! I am writing this as a resident of Oakland District 4. This occupation is violence. Displacing people, blockading food, water and humanitarian aid is are war crimes and the people of Oakland say NO! Not on our dollar, not for anyone, anywhere, ever. Not now, and not for the past decades. Anyone who is interested in peace knows that this violence is making the region more unsafe - more unsafe for Palestinians, Jews, Israelis, and folks in their diasporas. The people of Gaza deserve life and dignity. They are not pawns in a military revenge plot, or a settler dream, or regional geopolitical positioning. Thank you to my District Councilmember for their support of this resolution.
As a youth environmental Justice organizer and resident of District 3 in Oakland, I implore you to pass this resolution condemning the genocide in Gaza and calling for an immediate ceasefire. We cannot remain silent as a city. Silence is complicity. 47% of the 2.2 million people living in Gaza are children under 18. Churches, Mosques, hospitals, schools, evacuation routes and residential buildings have all been decimated by Israel’s constant bombardment of Gaza that has killed more than 13,500 people and internally displaced 1.7 million people. Every hour 15 people are killed - 6 are children, 35 people are injured, 42 bombs are dropped, and 12 buildings are destroyed according to AlJazeera. This is collective punishment which is a war crime under international law. This is a genocide unfolding before our eyes, which is funded and enabled by the United States government. California has sent over $600 million in weapons to Israel in 2023. This is equivalent to 6.1 million dollars of Oakland taxpayer dollars annually that could instead fund life affirming resources in our city. This is an urgent Oakland issue your constituents care deeply about and will hold you accountable for. We need thank you for putting this resolution forward and encourage you to strengthen the language to condemn Israeli settler-colonialism and apartheid and call for the end of all U.S. aid to Israel. A ceasefire without an end to this settler colonialist occupation is not enough.