Long Beach Civic Center (carpathiar/Flickr/CC BY-ND 2.0 DEED) The Long Beach City Council passed a proclamation on Tuesday night urging the federal government “to support negotiations that lead to a lasting humanitarian ceasefire in Israel and Gaza.”
The proclamation passed by a margin of 5-2, with the two city councilmembers voting against it being Kristina Duggan and Daryl Supernaw, according to NBC Los Angeles. The proclamation states: “The City Council acknowledges the current humanitarian crisis in Gaza and has condemned the attacks on Israel. Palestinian people deserve self-determination. Israel has a right to defend itself. Palestinians and Israelis equally deserve dignity, security, and to live without harm. The City Council calls on our federal leaders to support negotiations that lead to a lasting humanitarian ceasefire in Israel and Gaza, the release of all hostages, the safe passage of food, water, medical supplies, and other life-saving humanitarian aid into Gaza, and a peaceful resolution that achieves both an end to the attacks on Israel by Hamas, and the protection of civilian life in Gaza and Israel.”
Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson (D) said in a statement following the passage of the proclamation, “The City of Long Beach stands firmly on the foundation of unity, inclusion, and respect, and with this proclamation we join the international community in supporting peace in the region.” He later added: “There is a pain in Gaza and Israel that is reverberating here in Long Beach. As local leaders, we have a responsibility to challenge the growing incidents of hate and intolerance happening in our region and across the country by affirming our longstanding values of peace, social justice, equity and safety.”
Tonight, the Long Beach City Council adopted a proclamation calling on our federal leaders to support negotiations that lead to a lasting humanitarian ceasefire in Israel and Gaza, the release of all hostages, and the safe passage of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The City of… pic.twitter.com/T0Td4PUzEo
— Office of Mayor Rex Richardson (@LongBeachMayor) December 20, 2023
Duggan told the Press-Telegram that she voted no because “I wasn’t elected to weigh in on foreign affairs” and that the city council “should be focusing on things within our control.”
Anti-Defamation League Orange County/Long Beach Regional Director Peter Levi said in a statement to the Journal, “While we appreciate that much of the inflammatory language that was in the original recommendations was not included in this proclamation, the latest proclamation still lacks direct condemnation of Hamas as a terrorist organization, and fails to acknowledge the ongoing crisis of rockets being fired at Israel. While the latest proclamation includes a request for releasing all hostages, it does not include a call for Hamas to lay down their weapons nor acknowledge Hamas’s central commitment to the death and destruction of Israel. These types of proclamations only cause further division in an already polarized community.”
“The Long Beach City Council’s call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza does not take into account the reality of this war. – Richard Hirschhaut
American Jewish Committee Los Angeles Regional Director Richard Hirschhaut said in a statement to the Journal, “While seemingly well-intentioned in acknowledging the suffering of both Israelis and Palestinians from the evils of Hamas terror, the Long Beach City Council’s call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza does not take into account the reality of this war. A better proclamation would echo the sentiments of Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who noted that the war could end today if Hamas surrendered, laid down its arms and released its hostages.”
According to the Press-Telegram, there were around “400 people combined inside and outside council chambers, with around three-quarters supporting Palestine and the rest pro-Israel.” The Press-Telegram also noted that there has been “mounting pressure from pro-Palestine activists and the Long Beach Equity and Human Relations Commission” for the city council to support a ceasefire and that pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted a Dec. 5 city council meeting multiple times.
Among the cities in California that have also passed ceasefire resolutions include Oakland and Richmond.
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