The Oakland City Council has adopted a resolution supporting a permanent ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
The resolution was unanimously approved by the eight-member City Council during a special session Monday which began at 4 p.m. and ended around 9 p.m. in Oakland City Hall.
The legislation, authored by District 3 Councilmember Carroll Fife, urges Congress to demand “an immediate ceasefire; release of all hostages, (and) the unrestricted entry of humanitarian assistance into Gaza.”
The resolution avoids specifics, such as the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas that killed 1,200 Israelis, or Israel’s retaliatory siege, bombardment and invasion of Gaza.
The Oakland document also notes that “over 1,000 people in Israel and more than 11,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed in a matter of weeks” without assigning responsibility. It “recognizes that the current crisis takes place within a long history” and affirms that “the root causes of the crisis need to be addressed” without saying what those are, or what should be done.
“We support life. And in order for a lasting peace to occur the shooting, the bombings and all of these things have to stop. People need food and access to water. That was the goal of this resolution,” said Fife said in her closing statements. “The world is watching… I reject the notion that Oakland is divided. We stand united when it counts. That is now.”
Council President and District 2 Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas emphasized a ceasefire is necessary for both the people of Israel and Palestine.
We support life. And in order for a lasting peace to occur the shooting, the bombings and all of these things have to stop. People need food and access to water. That was the goal of this resolution.
Councilmember Carroll Fife
“If we are going to honor the humanity, which is what so many of these resolutions and the protests and the actions have been about… I believe we have to envision a world where everyone can live in peace and dignity with equal rights and self-determination,” she said during her statements at the special session.
Lara Kiswani, executive director of the Arab Resource and Organizing Center, said the resolution reflects “the voices of the diverse communities it represents, and is standing firmly on the side of peace and justice.”
“We are proud to see our city honor its radical legacy of social and racial justice. We will continue to fight for a ceasefire and an end to the genocide in Gaza,” she said.
Resolution criticized
However, a Jewish group noted that the resolution failed to mention the “atrocities of the Hamas, including rape, torture, and mass murder of Jews, Bedouins, Thai and Filipino farm workers, and many more.”
“As disturbing was the completely inability of council members to reign in several hours antisemitic rhetoric, including chants of ‘white Hitler,’ saying ‘antisemitism isn’t real,’ and denying that the Oct. 7 attacks occurred,” the Jewish Community Relations Council Bay Area said in a statement.
JCRC Bay Area CEO Tye Gregory said the special meeting was a “complete disgrace and will bring nothing constructive to actual Palestinians and Israelis on the ground.”
“What it instead has achieved is the fanning of flames of antisemitism in Oakland,” he said in a statement.