CLEVELAND — Cleveland City Council resumed their meetings for the new year after a brief break on Monday night, having received two letters about the Israel-Hamas conflict from the community during that time.
One letter, created by Palestinian supporters, was signed by about 50 local organizations, the Jewish Voice for Peace Cleveland, and more than 30 businesses, urged council to pass a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire and the return of hostages on both sides of the conflict.
“The ongoing military occupation and the enduring siege of Gaza stand as defining factors that profoundly shape the daily lives of Palestinians across the world, including in Cleveland,” the letter reads, in part. “These conditions permeate every aspect of Palestinian existence, casting a long-lasting impact on their daily routines, aspirations and overall well-being.”
The letter points to instances of violence against Palestinians in the United States, like the six year old Palestinian child who was stabbed to death in Chicago and the three Palestinian college students in Vermont who were shot while wearing the Keffiyeh, a symbol of Palestinian identity and resistance.
The Jewish Federation of Cleveland also sent council a letter, urging members not to diverge from national foreign policy leaders and citing the United States’ choice not to support a ceasefire when proposed to the United Nations.
The letter expresses a need to prioritize the return of hostages still held by Hamas and to protect Jews across the country from an increase in anti-semitism.
“Those who are calling for a ceasefire before Hamas is removed from power and the hostages are freed are strengthening a terrorist group and falsely painting Israel as the aggressor in this war that was forced upon them," the letter reads, in part. "That false narrative is further fueling an increase in anti-Jewish and anti-Israel rhetoric that is having a devastating effect on Jewish students on campuses and Jews in Cleveland and throughout the world.”
It goes on to say they would only support a ceasefire that removes Hamas from power and returns all the remaining 136 hostages to their homes.
“We felt that there was a little bit of a lack of information, and in some cases, a lack of perspective from the Jewish community,” said Marc Ashed, assistant Vice President of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland. “So, our letter to council was really intended to do that, to provide education, provide perspective and provide ourselves as a resource for a topic that quite honestly, they’re not experts in.”
In Monday night’s meeting, supporters of the ceasefire packed council chambers.
“The ceasefire resolution that we’ve presented calls for a ceasefire on both sides,” said Faten Odeh, Executive Director of the Council on Islamic American Relations (CAIR). “It calls for the release of hostages from both sides, and an end to the violence. I don’t know why anyone would argue the ceasefire resolution that we proposed.”
The supporters of a ceasefire were still able to speak during public comment, despite talk of council changing public comment rules to only allow items on council’s agenda.
That’s because council is facing a first amendment lawsuit and is currently under a restraining order which prohibits them from enforcing the body’s public comment policies, except for the preregistration requirement, the three-minute time limit, and the 10-speaker limit.
City councils in several cities, including Akron and Detroit, MI and have passed similar resolutions calling for a ceasefire.