Will NYC become the largest city in America calling for a ceasefire?
Demonstrators call for a ceasefire in New York City on Nov. 18, 2023. Photo by Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images
By Jacob Kornbluh June 11, 2024
The New York City Council may consider a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza at its upcoming legislative meeting on June 20.
The measure was first brought up and discussed at a Democratic conference Tuesday afternoon, but a draft has not yet been shared with members, according to two sources familiar with the matter who did not give their names due to the sensitivity of the matter.
A council spokesperson referred to “ongoing conversations” among council members about their support for a ceasefire. “These conversations have been understandably challenging and emotionally difficult, reflective of how many New Yorkers are feeling,” the spokesperson said.
The council spokesperson also referred to the ceasefire resolution, initiated by the U.S., and recently adopted by the United Nations Security Council, as presenting a “clearer” diplomatic path toward peace in Gaza “The Council stands united in our goal to preserve humanity and protect life, and is attempting to work towards a consensus position that promotes peace and safety for all people.”
It is unclear whether the language in a resolution would urge a complete halt to the fighting in the eight-month-long war between Israel and Hamas or for a mutual ceasefire linked with a hostage deal. The U.N. Security Council on Monday backed a three-phase Israeli proposal outlined by President Joe Biden for a ceasefire and urged Hamas to accept the deal. Hamas has reportedly given the Qatari and Egyptian mediators its reply to the proposal with some “remarks” on the terms.
Council Speaker Adrienne E. Adams, a Democrat, told members she would introduce the resolution to ensure its passage. A spokesperson for the speaker didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Eighteen in the 51-member chamber have publicly called for a permanent ceasefire.
If the council approves it, New York would become the largest city in America to pass such a measure. It would join some 100 cities and municipalities across the U.S. that have done so in recent months, including San Francisco and Chicago.
NYC Mayor Eric Adams has resisted calls to back a ceasefire in the wake of almost daily protests across the city. “I’m going to continue to say it,” Adams told reporters in April. “The hostages should be returned, Hamas should be destroyed, and we don’t want innocent children to die, nowhere.”
Inna Vernikov, a Republican Jewish member of the council, called the introduction of a resolution — by a body representing the largest Jewish population outside of Israel — “shameful” and a “meaningless political theater.”
“Where was your ceasefire resolution on October 8th after 1,400 innocent civilians were brutally murdered in cold blood?” Vernikov asked the council’s leadership in a statement. “Why would Hamas care about what our City Council has to say when they laugh at our president?” Vernikov added. “Either way, no ‘ceasefire’ should ever be entertained until the scourge of this murderous terrorist organization is wiped from the face of the Middle East and the world.”
This post was updated.
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