Langley, Washington CEASEFIRE resolution passed on February 5, 2024

Resolution on the Emergency in Gaza

Drafted by the DSR* for the Langley City Council January 10, 2024

WHEREAS, on July 6, 2020 the City of Langley passed Council Resolution 811 stating a commitment to dismantle systemic racism and to create an anti-racist, inclusive community;

WHEREAS, in just a matter of months between October 7th 2023 and January 10, 2024, armed violence has claimed the lives of over 1,200 Israelis and over 22,800 Palestinians;

WHEREAS, in these same few weeks more than 1.9 million Palestinians living in Gaza, many of whom were already refugees or descendants of refugees due to prior decades of strategic violence, have been displaced by Israeli bombing and its ground invasion;

WHEREAS, hundreds of thousands more lives are at risk if a permanent ceasefire is not immediately achieved and humanitarian aid sufficient to the need immediately delivered;

WHEREAS, Palestinian, Jewish, Druze and all other inhabitants of Israel, the Occupied Territories, and Gaza have a right to exist without fear of violence or displacement;

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, through both their constant bombardment of Gaza and their withholding of access to electricity, drinking water, food, fuel, and humanitarian aid, the state of Israel is engaging in collective punishment against the civilian people in Gaza, by definition a war crime under international law;

WHEREAS, Holocaust and genocide scholars, human rights groups, and legal experts have stated that the Israeli government is acting towards the Palestinian people with clear genocidal intent;

WHEREAS, the City of Langley wishes to decry any and all acts of violence, and express its deepest condolences to all those affected by these actions;

WHEREAS, there have been an increasing number of dehumanizing and deadly incidents of anti-Palestinian, anti-Muslim, and antisemitic (1) rhetoric and violence within the United States;

WHEREAS, there is no military solution to this crisis, and only a political solution can lead to a peace based on common humanity, human rights, freedom and justice;

WHEREAS, the City of Langley recognizes that the current crisis takes place within a long history and affirms that, for a pathway to lasting peace and justice to be developed, the root causes of the crisis need to be addressed;

WHEREAS, in its work to dismantle systemic racism Langley’s City Council necessarily takes its direction from Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC);

WHEREAS, BIPOC scholars, educators, teachers, and activists from across the U.S. and around the world define what has been happening in Israel, the Occupied Territories and Gaza for decades, and since October 7th with increasing focus, a clear example of systemic racism by both design and outcome;

WHEREAS, international organizations such as Doctors Without Borders, Amnesty International, the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the International Rescue Committee, and many others have called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in order to prevent the further loss of civilian life and to be in accordance with international humanitarian law;

WHEREAS, leaders of all three Abrahamic faiths, Muslim, Jewish, and Christian, have likewise called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, as have national and global organizations representing adherents of these three religions;

WHEREAS, the state of Israel would not be able to conduct itself in Israel, the Occupied Territories and Gaza as it is doing without the enormous financial support of the United States, support that is being provided to Israel at the same time that Americans (and disproportionately BIPOC Americans) are deprived of the funds necessary to meet their urgent needs;

WHEREAS, sixty-six percent of American voters support a ceasefire according to an October 20, 2023 Data for Progress poll (2) and want to see the U.S. leverage its diplomatic relationships to prevent further violence and civilian deaths;

WHEREAS, the Federal Government holds immense diplomatic power to save Palestinian and Israeli lives, and H.Res. 786 (House Resolution 786: “Calling for an immediate deescalation and cease-fire in Israel and occupied Palestine") therefore calls upon the Biden Administration to demand a ceasefire and to provide humanitarian aid (3);

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, by the Council of the City of Langley, that it decries systemic racism and acts to the full extent of its capacity to dismantle systemic racism not only within its own boundaries but wherever it may have influence;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the City of Langley supports H.Res 786 and joins other cities in calling for

• our Senators and Representatives to demand an immediate and permanent ceasefire;

• the safe return of all hostages held by Hamas and all Palestinians extrajudicially detained by Israel;

• the unrestricted entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza;

• the restoration of electricity, food, fuel, water, and medical supplies to Gaza;

• the respect of and adherence to international law by all parties; and

• a solution that protects the security of all innocent civilians and the right to a life of safety and freedom for all Israelis and Palestinians;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the City of Langley affirms its status as a welcoming community for those of the Jewish and Islamic faiths, and of any other or no religious faith, and encourages Langley residents to support members of our Palestinian and Jewish communities and to continuously learn about and combat Islamophobia, antisemitism and ethno-nationalism in all its forms;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the City of Langley, in unflinching alignment with the principles of international law, calls for all governments and states and in this case namely Hamas, Israel, and the United States, to abide by these principles in order to promote a just and lawful resolution to the conflict;

AND BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, the City of Langley will send a copy of this resolution to city councils in Island County, to those of other cities and of the tribal nations with which the Langley Council has a pre-existing relationship, and to the offices of our Island County Commissioners, our Governor, our U.S. Senators and Representatives, and our U.S. President and Vice President.

1 This Resolution defines antisemitism as per the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism: https://jerusalemdeclaration.org/

2. Data for Progress. “Voters Agree the U.S. Should Call For A Ceasefire and De-escalation of Violence in Gaza to Prevent Civilian Deaths” https://www.dataforprogress.org/blog/2023/10/19/voters-agree-the us-should-call-for-a-ceasefire-and-de-escalation-of-violence-in-gaza Oct 20, 2023

3 H.Rs. 786: https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-resolution/786

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*The DSR mentioned in the headline of the resolution refers to the Dismantling Systemic Racism Commission of the city of Langley. Here is a copy of their memo that was sent to the city council, prior to the vote: