OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Oakland considered a resolution to call for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war on Monday, potentially joining nearly a dozen other U.S. cities from Michigan to Georgia that have supported the same.
The resolution before the Oakland City Council also calls for the unrestricted entry of humanitarian assistance into Gaza and a restoration of basic services, as well as “respect for international law” and the release of all hostages.
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“Too many innocent lives have been lost,” said councilmember Carroll Fife, who brought the resolution. “And I didn’t have words prepared because my heart is too broken to even express what I’m truly feeling in this moment.”
She said the issue is “deeply, deeply concerning” to Oakland residents and called for a moment of silence for the lives lost on both sides of the conflict.
Several hundred people signed up to speak at the council meeting, with many wearing black-and-white Palestinian scarves. Their words were met with cheers and applause.
Similar resolutions have passed in three cities in Michigan, where a large percentage of Arab Americans live, as well as in Atlanta; Akron, Ohio; Wilmington, Delaware; and Providence, Rhode Island.
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A temporary cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, which Qatar helped broker, is currently in place.
U.S. cities have been adopting resolutions regarding the conflict even though they have no legal role or formal say in the process, said David Glazier, who teaches constitutional law at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.
“It raises an…
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