Iowa City City Council approves resolution supporting ceasefire in Palestine, Israel
The Iowa City City Council narrowly passed a resolution calling for a permanent ceasefire in Palestine and Israel Tuesday night, further reaffirming the city’s opposition to antisemitism, Islamophobia, and anti-Arab bigotry.
The council voted in favor of the resolution, 4-3. Megan Alter, Shawn Harmsen, and Josh Moe voted against the resolution, with their opposition focused on concerns that local members of the Jewish community and other religious groups likely didn't have enough time to share their thoughts.
Those inside Emma J. Harvat Hall and the nearby lobby erupted into loud applause once the resolution passed.
Nearly 100 community members attended Tuesday's meeting, listening to the voices of friends and neighbors while focusing intently on council discussion. A smattering of boos and shouting were directed at the councilors who voted 'no.'
A resolution for peace
Iowa City had previously denounced hate in all forms after a string of flagrant antisemitic, racist and homophobic public commenters spoke out in October.
Tuesday's resolution is more forthright and concrete.
The language is rather specific, condemning the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas on Israelis and the killings in Gaza by Israelis. It also affirms Iowa City’s commitment to supporting the people of Palestine by allowing Israelis to live in peace, with justice and security.
The resolution also analyzes taxpayer contributions to Israel, estimating that Iowa City residents would contribute nearly $750,000 annually for the U.S. military's aid and $31,000 annually in humanitarian aid in Palestine.
The resolution also called for “immediate, unconditional and sufficient humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza," noting how criticisms of leadership in Israel and Palestine are not inherently antisemitic or anti-Arab.
The United Nations passed a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza on Dec. 12, while other American cities, including Oakland, California, and Seattle, Washington, have made similar stands.
Council debate hinges on hearing voices, taking immediate action
Mazahir Salih, the first elected Muslim in Iowa City in 2017, led the charge to address public concerns through specific language in the resolution.
Councilors went back and forth on when to approve the resolution, with the three opposed noting how they felt that members of the Jewish community didn't have enough time to voice their thoughts.
“Is it right for me to say this is fine — it’s not offensive, it’s not antisemitic — if I’m not Jewish?” Harmsen asked. “Any more than I would say, 'well this is fine, it’s not anti-Arab or it’s not anti-Muslim,' without at least giving people from the stakeholder groups a chance to know this exists, to read through it, and to offer some sort of feedback.”
Councilors Alter and Moe echoed similar sentiments, but the four who voted 'yes' argued that not implementing the resolution could be harmful. And though they admitted the resolution was not perfect, it included input from the community, including local Jewish leaders who helped draft it.
“I do see this as the result of a very careful, very intentional process in which, yes, it was over a difficult part in the year and a relatively short amount of time,” Laura Bergus said, who voted to approve the resolution. “But certainly, I have been receiving comments from the public well before our Dec. 12 meeting, and I think we’ve been aware of this issue for months before then as well.”
Andrew Dunn helped fine-tune the amended language, including lines that referred to Israelis captured by Hamas as "hostages," vowing to send the resolution to the White House. He removed references that may have confused Hamas militants with Palestinian "non-combatants."
Each Iowa City councilor approved Dunn's changes.
“By any means, we are not picking a side, because killing is not okay,” Salih said. “And again, thank you to everyone who has come here. We’re not going to make everyone happy. Sometimes people got mad, you know, but we need to do the best [we can].”
Area residents speak up
Attendance was standing room only in Emma J. Horvat Hall, which included at least 25 pro-Palestinian protesters and some self-identifying local Jewish members.
Deema Totah, a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Iowa, spoke in support of the resolution, noting how it had been approved by many within the community.
More: Iowa City residents ask city to support ceasefire in Gaza, back Palestine
“Beyond the people standing in this room, the text of this resolution you have in front of you right now has been publicly endorsed by over 20 organizations locally and over 140 individuals,” Totah said, flashing a long list of endorsements that included Teamsters Local 238, the UI graduate student workers union, Veterans for Peace, Jewish Voice for Peace Eastern Iowa and more.
“This community is diverse and it is unified in demanding peace, justice and freedom for all," Totah said.
In an email to the council, Iowa City resident Karen Michaeli and other community members collaborated to raise concerns about the resolution. She criticized the omission of “anti-Israeli” from the resolution to correspond with "anti-Arab", called the city’s actions a “moral equivalence," and critiqued Iowa City for a double standard, supporting a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war but not for wars in Ukraine or Sudan.
Another resident spoke of the seriousness of the conflict Israeli-Hamas conflict, mentioning how it affects life more than many realize.
“We can’t afford quibbles about language in the face of this terrible emergency,” resident Jason Weeks said. “To many Americans, the war in Gaza seems distant and not very relevant in their lives. But here in this town, we know that this is not true and we are in a position to communicate an incredible sense of alarm to other Americans.”
Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Iowa City City Council resolution calls for ceasefire in Palestine, Israel
