Call for a Ceasefire and Peace in the Middle East in San Jose

👉 Originally published as a petition on Change.org – please sign!

Since October 7th, 2023, the United States federal government has aided and abetted Israel in violating international law by enacting collective punishment on the residents of the Gaza strip for more than 100 days, directly killing more than 29,000 Palestinian civilians and gravely wounding tens of thousands more. In parallel, the Israeli Defense Force (IDF), has made incursions into the north of Gaza with the intent of driving the Palestinians into the South under the pretext of liberating hostages taken in the October 7th attack. This conflict did not begin defensively on October 7th; it is part of a 70-year aggressive attempt to drive Palestinians out of their home territories as a blatant land grab for Israeli settlers.

Gaza is a 140 square-mile region located near the border of Israel and Egypt, densely populated by 2.3 million Palestinians. Human Rights Watch (HRW) has described Gaza as an open air prison monitored by the Israeli state; its apartheid policies restrict movement and resources for Palestinians, devastating the economy that sustains Gaza and its people. Currently medicines, food, water, and electricity have been cut off in Gaza; thousands live in tents as refugees, their homes bombed to rubble.

The United States remains complicit in the ongoing conflict and all the atrocities mentioned. The federal government has sent billions of dollars in military aid to Israel while refusing to direct funds for health care, infrastructure, education, and jobs; as Israel’s primary financial and military backer, the United States is a significant player in the ongoing conflict and holds significant sway in determining its end, not only as a financial contributor, but as a member of the United Nations Security Council.

Over 100 cities across the US, including Seattle and Chicago, have represented their constituents’ voices by passing resolutions calling for immediate ceasefire; in addition, Joe Biden has called for an immediate ceasefire. Although symbolic, the volume of resolutions have inspired a broad shift in support for a ceasefire; Notably the Santa Clara County Democratic Party Central Committee has adopted a resolution calling for a ceasefire. On March 25th 2024, the UN Security Council was able to pass a temporary ceasefire resolution for the month of Ramadan with the United States abstaining due to growing pressure from Democratic and anti-war grassroots. This is a step in the right direction towards a permanent ceasefire in the region and preventing a possible escalation with Iran.

The City Council has made it clear it cannot take a position on US foreign policy that doesn’t impact San Jose, however the council is not prohibited from issuing resolutions directed towards the United Nations, Israel, or Palestinian authorities directly, unrelated to the policy of the United States. Furthermore, the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis in Palestine and Israel does have an impact on existing issues in San Jose.

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This issue is undeniably held in priority by many San Jose citizens as seen by:

The support of a ceasefire by major San Jose unions and County Board of Education officials.
The continued controversy in San Jose schools by the ceaseless conflict.
The experiences of almost over 6,000 Arabic San Jose residents and the testimonies of their families’ casualties in the conflict.

The issue is also relevant for San Jose citizens concerned with the use of their federal tax dollars who see all their city representatives as key figures in holding the federal government accountable for prioritizing military spending over domestic improvements.

San Jose residents have a right to demand city representatives represent their dissent against $11,867,728 of their tax dollars going towards military funding for a conflict across the world, rather than being reinvested in their community.
These tax dollars spent in San Jose could fund 1,410 households with public housing for a year, 4,129 children receiving free or low-cost healthcare, 129 elementary school teachers, 33,787 households with solar electricity produced for a year, 314 students with their loan debt canceled, or 10,319,763 N95 respirator masks.
San Jose has 6,340 (as of 2023) unhoused individuals including 646 youth. Instead of assisting in city-led initiatives to alleviate homelessness, the federal government chose to send 18 billion taxpayer dollars to Israel.
San Jose has 76,501 residents living below the poverty line (as of 2021) comprised mostly of youth and those above 65.
85 of the 220 schools that serve San Jose residents perform in the lowest 50 percentile of California schools (https://school-ratings.com/cities/San_Jose.html)

Although the City Council is unable to take a position on International Affairs unless it directly affects San Jose, we constituents urge the council members to join the hundreds of state and local representatives around the nation in in signing a letter urging the Biden administration to call for a ceasefire, drafted by Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP). By signing this, you are demanding the San Jose City Council to sign the Letter to Biden for a Permanent Ceasefire in Gaza⁴.

👉 Sign this petition on Change.org.

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By Alex M & Mike Paradela, Peace and Justice Center
May 1, 2024 at 8:00 AM

Call for a Ceasefire and Peace in the Middle East in San Jose

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