Why SJ residents opposed the idea of Gaza ceasefire resolution

 

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The City of San Jose resisted pressure from some advocacy groups to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. Rather, the City opted for a generalized statement calling for peace and unity within the community. This decision aligned with many statements from local citizens, who recently reminded Councilmembers of what is—and isn't—within their jurisdiction. A handful of comments below.

One Jewish–Arab resident argued that a resolution would stoke local antisemitism, and pointed to SJ City Council's explicit rule against meddling in foreign policy.

[Speaker]: Dear members of the council and dear fellow residents of San Jose, my name is [redacted]. I am an American woman, a resident of San Jose. I'm a wife, a mother. I'm of Jewish–Arab descent. I'm a tech executive. And I'm a longstanding peace activist. But for the first time in my life, I'm extremely concerned about my and my family's safety, and I'm afraid I'm not the only one.

Since the October event, there has been an increase of almost 400% in antisemitic incidents across the U.S., including California. While the situation in Israel and Gaza is alarming and keeping most of us here at nights awake, we must also acknowledge that any statement that this forum would promote either calling for ceasefire or the release of women and children and hostages... [Editor's note: continued later due to disruption] or anything related to the current crisis will have no influence on what's happening 18,000 miles away from here. However, it will most definitely have a damaging and concerning impact on our local community.

To quote the council's own past resolution, “The City Council has a longstanding policy of not taking positions on matters of foreign policy. We do not have the information or expertise regarding matters of state, national defense, or international intelligence to make truly informed decisions about foreign policy from a municipal perspective.” San Jose is among the best-managed cities in America because we focus on what residents expect their city to do: drive strong economy, build strong neighborhoods, and keep San Jose the safest big city in America. (1:41:46–1:45:21)

Another reiterated this idea of safety, reflecting on the antisemitism she and her children have faced since October 7:

[Speaker]: Dear members of the council, good afternoon. My name is [redacted]. Ten years ago, me and my family chose to [move to] San Jose [into] a house and raise our kids in this safe community. Sixty days ago on October 7th, after Hamas attacked Israel, this safety feeling ended for my family as my kid, 13 years old, middle school student, had a swastika and Hitler figures drawn in front of her eyes.

What I respectfully ask from you today is a plan to keep all San Jose residents safe, and not encourage a volatile situation by taking on a one-side[d] resolution. Thank you. (1:45:36–1:46:17)

The next speaker emphasized that a resolution would be highly partisan, particularly since Council didn't suggest one after October 7's attack.

[Speaker]: Good afternoon. I'd like to briefly discourage this council from making pronouncements on foreign policy. I'll just point out that there were no calls for a ceasefire on October 7th when Hamas was firing barrages of rockets at innocent people and also committing the most horrific crimes imaginable against babies, children, women, elderly, in ways—

[Editor's note: An audience member begins heckling the speaker.]

Mayor Matt Mahan: I'm sorry, sir, one moment.

Excuse me! We're not going to be able to do this and hear from everybody if we're going to have debate and back-and-forth. That's not how this works. Public comment is an opportunity—today it's limited to one minute in this forum—for any member of our community who wants to share their opinion on any item that was not on today's agenda that is relevant to our community. We're going to afford every person who wants to speak one minute, uninterrupted, to share their opinion, and then we're going to hear from the next person until we are done. If we can't handle that, we're not going to be able to have public comment. I hope that's clear. Sir, go ahead.

[Speaker]: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Victimizing babies, children, women, and elderly in ways that I have difficulty mentioning, so I won't. So calls for a ceasefire at this point are not true wishes for peace, but they are wishes for an eventual Hamas victory. Should this council choose to pronounce in favor of the terrorist side of this war, it will divide the community and— [speaker cut off here] (1:49:51–1:51:32)

Another resident reminded that Council's ultimate obligation is towards SJ's community, not other countries that won't be affected by a call to ceasefire:

[Speaker]: Hello, my name is [redacted], citizen, resident, and a mom of two young kids. I'm here today to support you, our councilmembers, in this difficult time. You are in an impossible situation where every statement and any action you make will hurt your city residents, either the Muslims or the Jews. And therefore, it seems like the right thing to do is not to alienate any community.

At the end of the day, this is America, not the Middle East, and we need to have good neighbor relationships for the sake of this city and country. America first, and your number one obligation is to Americans, not Gaza and not Israel. It's our city [imperative]: you need to build a thriving and safe city. These days, our city doesn't feel safe. I took my kids to Valley Fair Mall to enjoy the Black Friday shopping, only to be threatened by a massive pro-Palestinian demonstrator screaming and shouting. My kids were terrified, and we had to flee the place. (1:57:00–1:58:00)

Watch the whole thing here.

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Jax OliverComment