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Since October 7, following Hamas’ unprovoked assault on Israel, the place terrorists killed over 1200 harmless individuals and kidnapped 253 individuals, metropolis councils all throughout the nation have obtained requests to undertake resolutions calling for an instantaneous ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Let that sink in for a second. Individuals are demanding that metropolis councils, whose public mandate is to be answerable for enacting metropolis insurance policies and legal guidelines, weigh in on a world concern as nuanced and complicated because the decades-long combat between Israel and Palestinians. These requests require every metropolis, with restricted experience and assets, to deal with a overseas concern they haven’t any legislative authority over, in the end taking their consideration away from addressing points which can be affecting their metropolis. In essence, metropolis councils are getting used to unfold anti-Israel sentiment in a big public discussion board.
This newest effort has now hit Pasadena, with town council deciding to take up this concern at its March 18 assembly.
Whereas well-intentioned, what metropolis councils fail to acknowledge is that these resolutions do way more hurt than good. Not solely do they infer Israel is the foundation reason behind the entire demise and destruction in Gaza, they indicate that Israel has little interest in peace. Resolutions like this don’t account for the truth that if Hamas instantly returned the entire hostages they stole on October 7; the demise and destruction would finish. Nor do they demand that Hamas cease its actions from stopping the humanitarian assist from reaching the individuals in Gaza who so desperately want it. These resolutions additionally have a tendency to not point out that it was Hamas that broke an present ceasefire on October 6 after they attacked Israel on October 7.
Folks don’t appear to comprehend that on this newest spherical of negotiations, Israel has accepted the phrases of a ceasefire laid out by negotiators. However Hamas has regularly refused. How can Israel be held answerable for there not being a ceasefire when its adversary continues to stop it from occurring?
Usually, unbeknownst to metropolis councils, these ceasefire efforts are a way to an extra finish. Those that are calling for an instantaneous ceasefire are utilizing this second to litigate the previous and elevate the continuing battle of Palestinians. Many supporters’ final aim is to additional alienate Israel and proceed to delegitimize Israel’s proper to exist via accusations and claims that Israel is an apartheid state or committing genocide. The Jewish group has continued to witness and expertise a rise in hate speech and incidents which have focused Jews these final a number of months since many individuals contemplate Jews to be Israel’s proxies. Thus, these efforts additional embolden extra hate in the direction of Jews together with those that don’t assist the ceasefire motion.
I perceive that persons are searching for methods to make a distinction and finish harmless lives being misplaced. Nonetheless, if our congressional leaders, not to mention skilled negotiators, who’re way more educated than any of us on this concern and intimately know every of the gamers on the desk and have been within the room for the previous a number of weeks, have been unable to stress both sides to conform to the phrases of a ceasefire, what makes Pasadena’s Metropolis Council (or another metropolis council who’s contemplating related motion) suppose their symbolic gesture will make it occur? It gained’t, and these efforts will proceed to tear aside the material of our society additional.
For these causes (and a number of other others), I urge Pasadena’s Metropolis Council, in addition to any others contemplating a decision of their very own, to chorus from supporting these efforts and leaving worldwide points to the consultants.
Jason Moss is the Govt Director of the Jewish Federation of the Better San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys, a corporation that serves because the Jewish voice for the group, whose mission is to construct group by strengthening and enhancing Jewish life inside the higher San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys.
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