Jefferson County, Washington passed a CEASEFIRE resolution December 18, 2023

STATE OF WASHINGTON

County of Jefferson

RESOLUTION NO. 72- 23

IN THE MATTER OF SUPPORTING A LONG-TERM END TO VIOLENCE, WARFARE AND INDISCRIMINATE BOMBING IN ISRAEL AND OCCUPIED PALESTINE, THE RETURN OF ALL HOSTAGES, AND THE DELIVERY OF HUMANITARIAN AID; AND AFFIRMING OPPOSITION TO ANTISEMITISM AND ISLAMOPHOBIA

WHEREAS, all human life is precious, and the targeting of civilians, no matter their faith or ethnicity, is a violation of international humanitarian law;

WHEREAS, violence begets violence, and without a plan for peace, innocent people in Gaza, Israel and the West Bank will continue to be injured and killed;

WHEREAS, between October 7 and December 18, 2023, armed violence has claimed the lives of approximately 20,000 Palestinians (which includes thousands of children) and over 1, 200 Israelis. The death toll has included Americans, and tens of thousands more have been wounded;

WHEREAS, as of December 16th, the Israeli military is estimated to have dropped 29,000 munitions on Gaza( according to The Economist), whose entire area is densely populated and with 2. 3 million people in an area comparable in size to the Quimper Peninsula;

WHEREAS, the Secretary General of the United Nations reported on December 8th, 2023 that 60% of housing in Gaza has been destroyed or damaged;

WHEREAS, armed violence has destroyed hospitals, schools and universities, power and waste water facilities, desalination plants, agricultural resources and food factories, as a result of which diseases are spreading, malnourishment is increasing and the population is weakening;

WHEREAS, hundreds of thousands of lives are at imminent risk due to public health crises, especially vulnerable children, without immediate restoration of basic necessities, and delivery of adequate humanitarian aid without delay to the Palestinian people;

WHEREAS, the United States government and our elected leaders hold immense diplomatic power to save Israeli and Palestinian lives;

WHEREAS, this diplomatic power should be exercised to support democracy in the region, including civil rights for Palestinians, security for Israelis, and freedom from terrorism for all;

WHEREAS, the Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners has the ability to influence Washington State' s federal delegation to call for an immediate long-term end to indiscriminate bombing, the safe return of all hostages, and the delivery of adequate humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people without delay in order to prevent the loss of hundreds of thousands more lives;

WHEREAS, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and anti-Palestinian/ anti-Arab bigotry have risen significantly across the United States, and around the world in the past 9 weeks;

WHEREAS, all of these forms of bigotry, violence, and oppression serve to divide our communities and weaken our efforts to achieve collective safety, justice, and true multi- ethnic, multi-racial democracy here and everywhere;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE JEFFERSON COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS THAT: We condemn violations of international law, including both the attack on October 7, 2023 by Hamas, and the Israeli military' s response on the 2. 3 million Palestinian people living in Gaza( nearly half of whom are children) since then.

FURTHER, The BOCC will remit a copy of this resolution to our federal delegation to request that Congress take a position for an end to indiscriminate violence that is supported by American dollars and instead send vitally necessary supplies so as to create the basic conditions that might make a ceasefire sustainable, and

LASTLY, the Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners affirms its commitment to combat Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and anti-Palestinian/ anti-Arab bigotry, its support for the people of both Israel and Palestine to live in peace and security, and the right of all people to live, learn, work, play, pray, and engage in peaceful protest, all without threats, intimidation, or death.

APPROVED AND ADOPTED this 18th day of December, 2023,