Boston City Council calls for ceasefire in Israel-Hamas war

Boston’s City Council passed a call for a ceasefire in Gaza, wading into international controversy over the ongoing war between the nation of Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian militant political group that governs the territory of Gaza.

The resolution passed on an 11-2 vote, with Ed Flynn and Erin Murphy opposing.

The ceasefire vote has been a developing and controversial matter for the council and underscores the range of views on the international conflict.

Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson, the first Muslim American on the council, has been attempting to bring the ceasefire resolution since shortly after the Israel-Hamas conflict began in October.

“Our message is simple. All life is precious and the time has come for us to standup and call for an end to this senseless violence,” she said moments before Wednesday’s vote.

Fernandes Anderson changed a previous ceasefire proposal by striking language that accused Israel of committing “genocide” and “apartheid” in Gaza, according to the Boston Herald.

Earlier in the year, freshman Councilor Ben Weber, who is Jewish, filed a similar resolution, but withdrew it amidst concerns it would create division.

“It’s no secret that this … is not the first time that a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza has been filed in council,” Fernandes Anderson said, addressing the resolution’s multiple attempts. “But I don’t think that’s a bad thing. If anything, I think it demonstrates the determination of this body to ensure that we have the capacity to work collaboratively on difficult issues.”

In addition to an “immediate and permanent ceasefire in Israel and Palestine,” Wednesday’s resolution called for “an end to the bombing of Gaza, the freeing of all hostages from Hamas and the freeing of all administrative detainees held by Israel, lifting all barriers to the provision of humanitarian assistance at scale to meet the full needs of the population of Gaza” and the rebuilding of community structures destroyed in the conflict.

The resolution also called for “the beginning of a process of repair and reconciliation for all impacted by the violence in the region including the advancement safety and dignity for all Israelis and Palestinians.”

Flynn, who voted against the resolution Wednesday, said the city council is not the right body to address the international conflict.

“We have critical issues facing the city [like] the budget, public safety challenges, getting our economy back on track [and] neighborhood services,” he explained.

Murphy, who case the second vote in opposition Wednesday, pointed to the recent end of the Jewish holiday of Passover.

“I’m hearing from many Jewish residents, friends [and] family that they were offline and, this morning, are just hearing about this resolution coming forward,” she said.

The resolution also called for members of the Massachusetts Congressional delegation to “act in accordance with” the resolution.

The Boston City Council vote came as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Israel pressing Hamas to accept a truce that would reportedly halt violence, return hostages from each side of the conflict and allow provisions to flow to Gaza civilians caught in the middle of the conflict.

The council vote also came as college students in Pro-Palestinian protests and encampments across the nation and in the Boston area continue facing police responses. Earlier in the week, a judge dismissed a request for charges against the first of more than 200 such protesters scheduled for court proceedings.

Mayor Michelle Wu, who recently canceled a talk at Harvard University after student groups withdrew support for her appearance, is facing criticism from local students over her response to Pro-Palestinian college protests in Boston.

Boston’s vote supporting a ceasefire in Gaza follows ones passed by the city councils for Somerville and Cambridge in January. Medford has also passed a resolution.