After weeks of sometimes disruptive protests at Long Beach City Hall, the City Council says it will soon discuss whether to take an official stance supporting a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war currently raging in Gaza.
A trio of council members asked to discuss the issue at the upcoming Dec. 19 meeting, but it’s unclear at this point what the council will be voting on. The city has not released a draft of the proposed language outlining what the council would be calling for.
The agenda item, however, cites some other cities’ actions as possible examples:
“Several other cities across California have approved or are actively considering statements calling for a range of actions including an unimpeded humanitarian pause, the protection of civilians, the release of hostages, and a lasting ceasefire, including Oakland, San Francisco, Sacramento, and Stanton,” the agenda item says in part. “Nationally, other major U.S. cities including Seattle, Detroit, Providence, and Atlanta have adopted similar statements.”
The council’s move to discuss the topic comes after weeks of pro-Palestinian demonstrations at City Hall, some of which have disrupted City Council meetings.
At the council meeting Tuesday, protestors continued to push city leaders to support a ceasefire in Gaza, which has been devastated by military strikes in response to Hamas’ attack on Israel in October. With the bombings resulting in thousands of civilian deaths, cities across the country have faced pressure from protesters to call for a ceasefire since early October.
The city’s Equity and Human Relations Commission has also been urging the City Council to take action.
In mid-November, it sent a letter calling for the council to support a ceasefire resolution and condemn Islamophobia and antisemitism in the city, but the council declined to take the issue up at that time.
On Dec. 6, the commission met again to discuss the letter and make some changes they believed might make the council more likely to discuss the topic.
Some public commenters had deemed the original version of the letter offensive because it described the situation as an “Israel-Palestine War” instead of an Israel-Hamas war and referred to “Occupied Palestine.” Some commissioners said they didn’t think the letter needed to be changed, but the body ultimately voted unanimously to send the revised version to the council.
Council members could have discussed the letter without being bound by its language. They have the ultimate say on policy and often change items before voting on them.
Councilmember Joni Ricks-Oddie, who asked for the discussion to be put on the council’s agenda for next week, has not said why she decided to bring the issue to the council now as opposed to earlier.
“I have been following the conflict and ongoing humanitarian crisis very closely,” she said in a statement sent in response to questions from the Long Beach Post, “and have been speaking with many Long Beach residents and stakeholders who have been personally affected by this conflict.”
The revised recommendation from the Equity and Human Relations Commission, which could guide the council’s discussion, asked the council to acknowledge the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and to work with local Arab, Jewish and Palestinian groups to draft language for a resolution supporting a ceasefire. It also asked the council to continue to condemn antisemitism and anti-Arab sentiments.
The commission also asked the council to identify resources to educate the community on the conflict.
The City Council’s Dec. 19 agenda can be found here.
Editor’s note: This story was updated with a statement from Ricks-Oddie.