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Thanks to the work of Somerville for Palestine, the Somerville City Council is to take up a ceasefire resolution at tonight’s City Council meeting. The full text of the resolution can be found here.
Additionally, Somerville for Palestine and community supporters rallied at 6 pm in front of Somerville High School (81 Highland Ave Somerville, MA 02143) to demonstrate just how large the number of people in our city who support the passage of this resolution is.
At the time of writing, we have collected over [number] signatures of Somerville community members for our letter that asks Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey to join the call for a ceasefire. Accordingly, the resolution that is to be before the Somerville City Council would be delivered to the Senators (and other elected representatives) should the council decide to pass it.
Somerville for Palestine calls upon the city council to pass this resolution tonight. It is worth stressing that support for this resolution is asking no more of each councilor than what Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley has been willing to stand for. Now is not the time for silence. It is critical for elected leaders in the United States to speak up in this present moment considering how silence during Israel’s ongoing genocide of Palestinians only continues to make Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim community members more and more unsafe.
Furthermore, as elected officials, each City Councilor has an obligation to speak up for ethical stewardship of public tax dollars. The US federal government’s continued support for this genocide is an immoral use of Somerville residents’ dollars. The need for local level elected officials to speak up is all the more pronounced because of the astonishing reluctance many federal-level elected officials have demonstrated to join the call for a ceasefire and immediate humanitarian aid.
To not pass this resolution, would constitute a tremendous failure by the council to live up to the progressive values its members purport the city of Somerville possesses.
Furthermore, while calling for a ceasefire is an urgent and vital first step, it is also important for Somerville City government to work further so as to live by the resolution’s principles. The council and mayor must take even greater material steps towards aiding the end of the genocide and apartheid of Palestinians, and occupation of Palestine. For instance, Somerville’s municipal government must work to ensure our city isn’t procuring any good or services from companies which profit off the occupation and genocide. And similarly that our city has no investments with such companies. It is imperative that we aren’t even inadvertently financially enabling Israel to continue acting in the way it has.
-Somerville for Palestine
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Who violated the last ceasefire with murder, rape and atrocities? That would be Hamas. Who has violated every ceasefire in the past? That would be Hamas. So this so-called “peace” effort is simply a move to allow Hamas to regroup and rearm so they can — as they have publicly promised — murder Jews in the future. No one is calling for a ceasefire in Ukraine, knowing that that would benefit the Russian invaders. The only ceasefire needed in Gaza is the release of the hostages, inlcuding infants seized by the terrorists, and a surrender by Hamas.
WITHIN OUR LIFETIME!!!!!!
FREE FREE PALESTINE!
Thank you Somerville! It is a huge relief to me to see that my city government supports “Israel’s right to defend itself within the bounds of international law” and to use “any means to support long-lasting peace” — which necessarily includes dismantling Hamas and its infrastructure of terror paid for by billions of dollars in stolen foreign aid.
(This language was not in the original text, but was added and approved via amendment and then passed.)
Palestinians also have a right to defend themselves, far more clearly in fact than the right of an occupying power to do so against those they are occupying under international law. However, this generally goes unmentioned. It is disappointing the city council chose to maintain this fundamental hypocrisy in favor of those currently carrying out a genocide, even while calling for peace.
@ Dan Kimmel: 2023 was already among the deadliest years for Palestinians before 10/7. Israel was killing about a Palestinian a day. “Who has violated every ceasefire in the past?” Israel. This is well documented by all credible sources on the topic.
The ICJ just ruled that Israel is plausibly carrying out genocide in Gaza, Just like it ruled in favor of a ceasefire in Ukraine. It ordered Israel to stop and punish the politicians who are advocating the genocide. Israel has responded by saying “The Hague can’t stop us.” Israel cannot be allowed to wipe out Gaza.
@slaw
Palestinian leadership could have taken their billions in foreign air and dug shelters for their population of they were so worried about the Israeli air force. But they know the IAF only gets involved in response to massive rocket fire, so they bought tunnels and rockets for terrorists underneath hospitals instead of shelter for civilians.
Start a war, get a war, and thank you to Somerville for endorsing Israel’s right to ensure safety for its citizens. It’s right there in the resolution passed on Thursday.
I know it’s in there. I am criticizing that. It should be pretty obvious that the side which international courts declared needs to cease committing potentially genocidal acts and punish the officials responsible is not defending itself under international law, no matter how many times people repeat that it has the right to do so.
Gee Slaw…it seems you are really upset that this resolution includes language about Israel having the right to defend itself…or ensuring the safety for its citizens….but in your criticism of that and what you have said in your other comments here, you have made it quite clear by saying “Palestinians also have the right to defend themselves” that you see the Hamas massacre of 1,200 people (most of whom were Jewish Israelis) as some sort of righteous act of “self defense”. So why not come right out and say it? Come on Slaw, own up to what your’e implying….you may think that Somervillians can’t see through you…but it really isn’t very hard to do so!
Congratulations, Somerville! you have solved peace in the Middle East. Now let’s move on to fixing potholes. Do you think you can do that?
Do you think the campaign that the ICJ ruled is plausibly a genocide, and that Israel must cease and punish the politicians responsible for advancing it, is self defense? Again the International Court of Justice explicitly disagrees with you. International law in fact is explicit that Israel has no right to self defense in the territories it occupies at all. Occupiers have responsibilities in occupied territories to towards the people they occupy, aka the people they are occupying have rights, ones that Israel routinely violates. Occupiers do not have rights to occupation and defending an occupation is legally not self defense. This is really basic in international law.
You are the one who is afraid of saying what you actually thing (that this genocidal campaign is fine and good) so you would rather attempt to smear me with 10/7 as if you aren’t trying to implicitly justify a campaign the ICJ declared to be plausibly genocidal. I get that you don’t want to talk about that, but it really makes your whole approach here look pretty ridiculous.
Slaw
Below is what I posted under your propagandistic words of wisdom in the comments section for the article AFTER the city council voted…with a few minor additions.
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This will be my last note to you because as a lifelong leftist, I am more than a little familiar with dogmatists like you who do nothing more than to help give the Left a bad name! You come across more like a cartoon character depicting a robot-like ideologue more than a leftist or progressive who values the importance of nuances,complexity, and an understanding of history.…And it is a waste of time to spend a lot of energy in a back and forth with people of your ilk. I posted my comment for the benefit of other readers of the Somerville Times to help them see this situation with greater clarity and to expose political idiots like you for what you are all about.
As for my views…which you took the liberty to expound upon without having any clue about how I see things.. they are as follows: 1) I support a two state solution in which, of course, by definition, Palestinians would have their own free and independent state.
2) I have been deeply troubled by the ways in which Israel has been fighting the war in Gaza. Far too many innocent civilians have been killed by Israel’s targeting policies. Israel needs to do a LOT more to minimize the toll this war is inflicting on the civilian population of Gaza. Similarly, Israel needs to be MUCH more willing to fully cooperate in getting a LOT more food, water, medicine, and fuel into Gaza.
3) Based on what Israel has and hasn’t done regarding its military tactics and efforts to get desperately needed humanitarian supplies into Gaza, I believe that Israel has committed war crimes. And as a proud American Jew, it deeply pains me to say that.
4) But at the same time, I believe Israel’s war against Hamas is a fully justifiable one. After Hamas’ massacre of approx 1,200 innocent people on Oct 7, and its taking over 200 hostages, Israel has both the right and the obligation to do its best to disarm Hamas and in doing so, prevent any future attacks against the Israeli people. But it does need to fight this war with much greater regard for the civilian population in the Gaza Strip.
5) As for the incessant accusations of “genocide,” nearly every media outlet in the world is, as of today, citing the figure of approx 26,000 Palestinians having been killed by Israel’s armed forces. What is nothing less than astounding is that hardly anyone either notes or acknowledges that approx 8-9,000 of them have been Hamas fighters!! So, in reality, a much more meaningful count of the # of non-combatants who have been killed is 17-18,000. Given that the population of Gaza is approx 2.3 million, how anyone can say with a straight face that inadvertently (and tragically) killing 17-18,000 people out of a population of 2.3 million constitutes genocide is beyond me.
6) Why isn’t accusing Israel of committing a war crime, or even mass murder, if you will, …why isn’t that enough? Perhaps because accusing any nation of committing “genocide” is the ultimate way to demonize a country. And Israel has been unfairly demonized for decades.
7) So Slaw…go for it, you can have the “last word” …but, in doing so, how about putting all your cards on the table? Tell us in plain English why you believe that the Hamas massacre of 1,200 innocent people on Oct 7 was a justifiable act of “resistance.” And then go take a good look at yourself in the mirror!
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I don’t have much to say in response because I think your own blatant hypocrisy speaks for itself, so I will leave this in both places you responded the same way to highlight it for people who might only be getting narratives like yours:
That you know Israel is committing war crimes and not doing enough to diminish civilian casualties and yet you support it any way says everything about you. For one that implicit support for massacres you are still trying to place at my feet truly is a more of a projection of what you know you are doing yourself. Why don’t you look in the mirror?
Just one example in citing death tolls for 10/7 you collapse in confirmed Israeli military deaths with civilian deaths (closer to 900, and of course still tragic) while literally just making up a number (8-9,000) of supposed “Hamas fighters” in order to downplay the still vastly greater number of civilian casualties in Gaza. Do you have no shame? No sense of self reflection at all? Killing approximately 1% of the population in a couple months absolutely sounds genocidal to me and again the ICJ seems to agree. The way you are denying that is truly disgusting.
“Perhaps because accusing any nation of committing “genocide” is the ultimate way to demonize a country. And Israel has been unfairly demonized for decades.”
Is just a bizarre argument. It’s pretty standard that when a country commits consistent war crimes, massacres civilians, and the leaders talk about wiping people out, about no innocent civilians, everyone there being guilty, that people will start accusing them of genocide. That isn’t “demonization” that is people criticizing genocidal actions for being genocidal. Israel is not a victim because people are (correctly) saying that Israel is carrying out what appears to be a genocide.
Damn…I can’t resist…but not only can’t you write coherent sentences…you clearly can’t read very well. Is it too hard for you to comprehend two different things in your head at the same time?
I said I think Israel is fighting a just war – given that Hamas invaded Israel, killed more than 1,200 people and took more than 2 hundred hostages – however, I am strongly critical of some of the ways in which Israel is conducting the war because of the toll it is taking on the civilan population. Clearly this is far too complex for someone like you to comprehend. As for what I said about the IDF killing about 8 or 9,000 Hamas fighters…no I didn’t make that up…it’s based on estimates by reputable journalists….and no I didn’t say that to downplay anything. I stated very clearly (did you fail 4th grade reading?) that I think that the civilian death toll is tragic, while at the same time, I was trying to provide an accurate account of how many civilians have been killed compared to Hamas fighters. Clearly this is another conept that is far too complex for you to take in, isn’t it?
I also very clearly stated that if 18 or 19,000 civilians are tragically killed in large part (but not entirely – Israel certainly bears some of the responsibility) because Hamas is using them as human shields (which OF COURSE, being the moron and apologist for terrorism that you are, you will deny). …that 18-19,000 deaths out of a total population of 2.3 MILLION is not a genocide…period…full stop.
Now Slaw, you STILL have not admitted that you think that the Hamas massacre of 1,200 (mostly Jews) on Oct 7th was a justifiable act of resistance by an openly and proudly anti-Semitic terrorist organization..but it’s really not important because anyone reading your not very artful dodges and rationalizations can very easily see that you DO believe that what Hamas did on Oct 7 was A-Ok with you…so no mas from me…but one more thing … why don’t you go over to Gaza and help your comrades in arms in their glorius struggle to wipe Israel off the face of the earth….but I suppose you won’t do that because you know damn well that in the end, Hamas will be defeated one way or another and that at some point in the future…hopefully in the near future, Israel will elect a government that will support a two state solution and there will be a Palestinian organizatiion that will sign a peace agreement to help bring that into being. And losers and political morons like you will still be spouting dogmatic nonsense. Maybe, just maybe you ought to consider taking a different path in life…try thinking in complex terms with nuances that will provide you with a much clearer vision of what is in the real world around you instead of being a one-dimensional, dogmatic apologist for the deliberate murder of innocent people – all in the name of – of …what? A heroic form of resistance that specializes in DELIBERATELY killing unarmed Israelis. Israel is, yes, responsible for the deaths of far too many civilians…but these tragedies have not been deliberate acts of murder…..if Hamas wasn’t using Gazans as human shields the vast majority of those who have been killed by Israeli bombs would be alive today. No more from me…have fun spouting more nonsense.
For a war to be just it must be fought for just reasons and in a just way. You acknowledge Israel is not fighting this war in a just way (as does the ICJ) so regardless of the casus Belli it cannot be a just war. Despite your condescension this basic understanding of just war theory seems beyond you.
You are not trying to create an accurate number. You still repeat the 1,200 number as if they are all civilians despite Israel explicitly saying hundreds of them were military and you simply invented the 18 or 19,000 number. The human shields argument has been refuted by international observers repeatedly, and regardless if Hamas is using human shields Israel is still responsible if they shoot them. War crimes aren’t actually justified by “they made us do it” no matter how many times zionists pretend they are.
Killing approximately 1% of the entire population and displacing almost everyone in just a couple months absolutely appears to be genocidal and again if you disagree take that up with the ICJ not with me.
You are truly pathetic, all of your arguments are so overplayed and lacking any substance. Ive been explicit that I think criticizing 10/7 is fine as long as it doesn’t end there and criticizes both the conditions that created it and the genocidal response. That is not enough for you because even though you claim to be critical of some of the things Israel does, you clearly simultaneously believe they should be above criticism and receive full support in their genocidal campaign regardless. If anyone is “being a one-dimensional, dogmatic apologist for the deliberate murder of innocent people” it is you who is knowingly supporting a campaign that has killed (even by your deliberately low end and anally derived estimate) at least 20 times the number of civilians. If you want to make this argument, why don’t you go to Gaza and join Israels genocidal campaign? You are a coward who justifies genocide from the comfort of your living room. Vile.