2024-02-01T06:09:56+00:00
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/ A Reuters analysis of city data showed on Thursday that dozens of US cities, including Chicago and San Francisco, have issued resolutions regarding the war between Israel and Gaza.
According to Reuters, most of these resolutions call for a ceasefire, putting more pressure on President Joe Biden to help end the fighting before the elections scheduled for November.
At least 48 cities have passed symbolic resolutions calling for an end to the Israeli bombing of Gaza, while six others have passed resolutions calling more broadly for peace.
At least 20 resolutions were passed condemning Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7.
Most of the resolutions calling for a ceasefire passed in Democratic states like California, but at least 14 passed in swing states like Michigan, which could decide Biden’s re-election bid against Republican former President Donald Trump.
The Biden administration has rejected calls for a ceasefire, arguing that halting Israeli operations would benefit Hamas.
Critics of city decisions say they have no tangible impact on national policy and distract from domestic issues.
Gabriela Santiago Romero, a Detroit council member who voted for a ceasefire in Michigan’s largest city in November, said it reflects frustration, especially among younger and nonwhite officials, with Biden and other Democratic leaders. “We want leadership that is willing to listen to us,” she said.
Democrats, she added, need to “listen to young people, invest in diversity, invest in people who align with values and actually listen to their constituents.”
Asked for comment, the White House, which has said it is pressing Israel to avoid civilian casualties in Gaza, pointed to previous statements that a ceasefire would only benefit Hamas.
Chicago on Wednesday became the largest city to call for a ceasefire in a close vote that was tied 23-23 before Mayor Brandon Johnson tipped the scales in favor of the resolution.
Reuters collected data from 70 cities that have issued resolutions or statements on the Gaza war since Oct. 7, when Hamas launched an attack on Israel that it says has killed 1,200 people and taken 253 hostages.
The districts include major cities like San Francisco and smaller ones like Carrboro, North Carolina, and Biden’s hometown of Wilmington, Delaware.
Many of the cease-fire calls are modeled on Missouri Rep. Cori Bush’s “Ceasefire Now” resolution, which also urges the release of hostages and increased aid to Gaza, where health officials say Israeli bombing has killed more than 26,600 Palestinians.