Breaking News Release reported on GazaSiege.org
The Cambridge City Council today convened a public hearing on a bold and timely resolution regarding the situation in Gaza, with eloquent comments by many residents of Cambridge and heartfelt deliberations by City Council Members.
Summary of original resolution: "That the Cambridge City Council go on record recognizing the grievous impact of the loss of lives in the conflict on families and communities, mourning those lives on both sides of the conflict, condemning the attacks and invasion of Gaza by the Israeli military and the rocket attacks upon the people of Israel, and call for an immediate end to all attacks on civilians on both sides;
That the Cambridge City Council urges the United States government to press for: access for journalists; access to humanitarian aid; a cease-fire on both sides maintained with international monitoring; a long-term truce and an end to the economic blockade of the Gaza Strip and an increased flow of goods and people between Israel and Gaza;
That the City Clerk be and hereby is requested to forward a suitably engrossed copy of this resolution to President Bush, President-elect Obama, the Secretaries of State and Defense, the Secretaries-designate of State and Defense;"
The resolution was proposed by Councillor Marjorie Decker and Mayor Denise Simmons, and drafted with the support of the Cambridge Peace Commission.
In an unprecedented decision after the 3-hour hearing, the Council voted to adopt the resolution with 8 members voting in favor and 1 voting present. It included a last minute amendment requesting a long-term negotiated peace between both parties and support for a 2-state solution.
:: Read the full text of the amended Gaza resolution (Cambridge City Policy Order Resolution O-15, January 12, 2009).
:: View a full Video Stream of the hearing on January 12th, 2009
This landmark resolution should encourage many others around the country to propose similar actions in their own city councils and have congressional representatives finally take notice of the injustice and bias in US foreign policy in the Middle East, particularly regarding the devastating siege of Gaza.
Please show your support by thanking members of the Cambridge City Council for their bold and courageous action for an end to the siege in Gaza and a just peace in the region. Contacts for council members can be found here: http://www.cambridgema.gov/ccouncil.cfm
See related article: Cambridge Council Votes on Gaza, The Harvard Crimson, Jan 13, 2009.
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