Some 70 US cities have passed resolutions on the Israel-Gaza war with most calling for a ceasefire, a Reuters analysis of city data shows, putting more pressure on President Joe Biden ahead of the elections. November general election to help end the fighting.
At least 47 cities have passed symbolic resolutions calling for an end to Israeli bombing in Gaza, and six others have passed resolutions advocating more broadly for peace. At least 20 have passed resolutions condemning the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, which sparked the current bloodshed.
Most of the ceasefire resolutions were passed in Democratic states like California, although at least 14 were passed in swing states like Michigan, which could be decisive in President Biden’s re-election bid against former Republican President Donald Trump.
The Biden administration has rejected calls for a ceasefire, something supported by most Americans, arguing that a halt by Israel would embolden Hamas. Critics of the city’s resolutions say they have no tangible effect on national politics and distract from domestic issues.
Gabriela Santiago-Romero, a Detroit council member who voted to approve a ceasefire resolution in Michigan’s largest city in November, said it reflected frustration, particularly among younger officials and people of color, with Biden and other national leaders of the Democratic Party.
“We want leadership that is willing to listen to us,” Ms. Santiago-Romero said.
Democrats should “listen to young people, invest in diversity, invest in people with aligned values who really listen to their constituents,” he added.
When asked for comment, the White House, which has said it is pressuring Israel to avoid civilian casualties in Gaza, referred to previous statements that a ceasefire would only benefit Hamas.
Reuters compiled data from 70 cities that have passed resolutions or proclamations between Israel and Gaza since Oct. 7, when Hamas militants killed about 1,200 people in Israel and took 253 hostages, according to Israeli counts. They range from major cities like San Francisco to smaller cities like Carrboro, North Carolina, and Biden’s hometown of Wilmington, Delaware.
Many of the calls for a ceasefire are modeled on Missouri Rep. Cori Bush’s “Ceasefire Now” resolution, which also calls for the release of hostages and increased aid to Gaza, where health officials They say Israeli bombings have killed more than 26,600 Palestinians.
At least nine of the ceasefire calls were made in Michigan, where Arab Americans make up 5% of the vote and Biden’s 2020 margin of victory over Trump was less than 3%. An October poll showed that Biden’s support among Arab Americans had plummeted from 59% in 2020 to 17%.
“This [war] “It’s something that will be on voters’ minds,” said Douglas Wilson, a Democratic strategist in the swing state of North Carolina.
“It’s going to be a problem here and in all the swing states because of the Muslim populations in these states, the Jewish populations in these states and the black and brown population in these states,” Wilson said.
‘Take a stand’
Hamas said on Jan. 30 that it had received and was studying a new proposal for a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza, put forward by mediators after talks with Israel, in what appeared to be the most serious peace initiative in months.
America’s support for Israel throughout the war has deeply divided Americans, sparking protests in American cities in support of both Israel and Gaza. However, a Reuters poll last year found bipartisan support for a ceasefire.
Some critics of the ceasefire calls in the city say they are premature, citing the brutality of the Hamas attacks.
“We cannot have a ceasefire [with] a terrorist organization that is committed to doing this again,” said Tyler Gregory, head of the San Francisco Jewish Community Relations Council, which condemned the calls as one-sided.
“[These] The resolutions are not only fanning the flames of hate, they are creating stronger tensions,” Gregory said, pointing to an increase in anti-Semitic incidents in the United States since October 7.
At least some city officials said calls for a ceasefire had the support of Jewish voters.
San Francisco Board Supervisor Hillary Ronen said hundreds of Jewish and Muslim residents urged her to vote in favor of a resolution passed in the city, one of the largest to pass it.
“For people like me, Jews with family in Israel, it is very important that we take a stand against this war,” Ms. Ronen said.
Mohammed Khader, a black Palestinian-American and policy director for the American Campaign for Palestinian Human Rights, said advocates “hope that those with local, state or federal voting power will recognize their Palestinian constituents.”
Analysts warned that while much could change before the Nov. 5 election, local frustration with Biden could hurt him at the polls by suppressing turnout.
Nadia Brown, a government professor at Georgetown University, said many Democratic activists “don’t see voting or doing things nationally as a way to get the things they like.”
Ms Brown added: “And if they don’t see that now, will they see it in November? I do not think.”
This story was reported by Reuters.