Resolution with Amendments (changes bolded)
WHEREAS, the City of Richmond stands in solidarity with the Palestinian people of Gaza, who are currently facing a campaign of ethnic cleansing and collective punishment by the state of Israel; and
WHEREAS, collective punishment is considered a war crime under international law, and refers to a form of sanction imposed on persons or a group of persons in response to a crime committed by one of them or a member of the group; and
WHEREAS, the state of Israel is engaging in collective punishment against the Palestinian people in Gaza in response to Hamas attacks on Israel; and
WHEREAS, this collective punishment of the Palestinian people includes shutting off all access to electricity, drinking water, food, and humanitarian aid; and
WHEREAS, the UN says approximately 2 million people in Gaza may soon run out of drinking water and all medical care; and
WHEREAS, ethnic cleaning refers to the creation of an ethnically homogenous geographic area through the elimination of unwanted ethnic groups by deportation, forcible displacement, or genocide; and
WHEREAS, Israel is now engaged in an ethnic cleansing campaign by explicitly requiring two million Palestinians to leave Gaza immediately or risk being bombed in their homes by the Israeli army; and
WHEREAS, the Gaza Strip, one of the most densely populated places on Earth, has been repeatedly referred to by human rights groups as “the world’s largest open-air prison” even prior to this conflict; and
WHEREAS, Gaza is known as “the world’s largest open-air prison” due to ongoing, unbearable living conditions imposed by the state of Israel, including a full air, land and sea blockade, enclosure of its borders by concrete walls and barbed wire fences, and the strict prohibition of Palestinians from leaving and entering the territory freely; and
WHEREAS, this blockade on Gaza has caused a 42% unemployment rate, while 84% of the population relies on humanitarian aid, 41% of Palestinians have too little food, 60% of Palestinian children are anemic, and the Gazan population cannot count on more than 2-4 hours of continuous electrical power a day; and
WHEREAS, prior to this current water shortage, only 1% of Gaza population has access to safe drinking water, leaving Gaza’s population – half of whom are children – increasingly vulnerable to waterborne diseases, infections, and dehydration; and
WHEREAS, Israel has not allowed many common cancer diagnosis and treatment tools, including PET CT and radiotherapy, to enter Gaza since 2007; and
WHEREAS, pediatric cancer cases that are typically considered treatable are often fatal in the Gaza Strip, as a result of the lack of healthcare and restrictions on movement; and
WHEREAS, the state of Israel would not be able to maintain an apartheid regime without enormous military aid provided by the United States every year, thereby also depriving Americans of money for their own urgent needs; and
WHEREAS, 1,400 Israelis have been killed by Hamas on October 7th and nearly 6,000 Palestinians have been killed by the state of Israel in this escalated conflict; and
WHEREAS, we mourn the loss of all civilian lives lost on both sides from October 7th to the present and also throughout the decades of displacement, occupation, oppression and blockade endured in Gaza and the West Bank;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City of Richmond takes seriously the entreaty of “Never Again,” and that the historical memory of the Holocaust means fighting ethnic cleansing and apartheid everywhere; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City of Richmond vows to combat antisemitism and ethno-nationalism in all its forms; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City of Richmond calls for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and the safe passage of substantial humanitarian aid to Gaza; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City of Richmond calls for the immediate release of all Israeli hostages taken by Hamas; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City of Richmond calls for an end to Israeli apartheid and the occupation and blockade of Palestinian land by Israeli military forces; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City of Richmond opposes all existing and any future military aid to Israel; and
FINALLY, BE IT RESOLVED that the City of Richmond advocates for the dignity and safety of residents in every community, regardless of what crimes its leadership may commit, and that peaceful diplomacy is the only way to achieve this safety and dignity.