City leaders in Oakland, Calif., call for permanent Gaza cease-fire

Tara Suter
·1 min read
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The city council in Oakland, Calif., is calling for a permanent cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hamas.

The Oakland City Council voted 8-0 on Monday in favor of a motion supporting a congressional resolution for a permanent cease-fire in the conflict. It also called for no restrictions on humanitarian assistance going into Gaza, “respect for international law,” the freeing of all hostages and basic services to be restored, according to The Associated Press.

Prior to the vote, the council voted 6-2 to turn down one council member’s amendments that condemned killings and the taking of hostages by Hamas. Council member Dan Kalb would go on to vote with the majority, while pointing out the resolution didn’t refer to Israel, according to the AP.

Fellow council member Carol Fife, who brought the resolution, said it had gone through four drafts that “intentionally attempted to de-politicize” the issue by “lifting up what we support and not what condemn,” according to the AP.

Fife said the matter of a cease-fire was “deeply concerning” to residents of the Bay Area city, according to the AP. She also called for a moment of silence for those who have died on the two sides of the conflict.

“I want Jewish children to live as much as I want Palestinian children to live,” Fife said, according to the AP

“The number of children who have been killed just since Oct. 7 surpassed the number of children who have been killed in global conflicts over the past four years,” council president Nikki Fortunato Bas said, according to the AP.

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