City leaders pressed to back Gaza ceasefire

   

BRIDGEPORT REPORT 

  By Reginald Johnson

      BRIDGEPORT ---- The City Council here voted to take under consideration a resolution calling for a cease-fire in the Gaza War and a de-escalation of the conflict, after hearing several speakers at a public forum demand that Israel stop its attack on the Palestinian people and end the carnage.

  The council chambers were packed with pro-Palestinian supporters for its Monday meeting and a number of them spoke passionately about the devastation that the Gaza war has created for residents there and said it was imperative that elected representatives in Bridgeport take a stand and follow the lead of other cities and call for an end to the conflict.

  “We call on the Bridgeport City Council to support a resolution conveyed to Connecticut representatives, Congress, and the administration to advocate for a cease-fire, allowing humanitarian aid to Gaza, and only issue responsible, balanced, and constructive public messages,” said Khaled Elleithy, president of the Bridgeport Islamic Community Center.

 . He added, “We demand that the Biden administration immediately stop Israel’s massive bombardment of Gaza. Should the White House once again fail to act to restrain Israel and to provide authentic leadership in the search for peace this tragedy will continue to grow. Palestinian suffering and bitterness will deepen, Israelis will remain insecure, and extremism will be further fueled by anti-American anger.”

   Jazmarie Melendez, a member of the City Council from the East End, proposed the resolution for council consideration.

  “We cannot conduct business as usual here, because of what we are bearing witness to in Palestine --- a death toll of 15,600 civilians, 6,600 of them children,” Melendez told her fellow council members.

 In the face of this mass killing, she said, “If we as a legislative body choose to remain silent, then we are complicit.”

 A young Palestinian-American boy testified at the public forum that he had attended major rallies on behalf of the Palestinians in both Bridgeport and in Washington DC. He said there were people of all faiths at these rallies --- Christians. Jews and Muslims.

 “You don’t have to be a Muslim to know that what is happening in Palestine is wrong, you just have to be human,” he said.

 The boy continued, “There is a genocide of the Palestinian people going on in both Gaza and the West Bank.”

               

Hanan Abdulwahid holds up a photo of her cousin, who she said was shot and killed in the West Bank without provocation by an Israeli soldier. (Photo by Reginald Johnson) 

  Lou Biafore, a resident of Lafayette Street in Bridgeport said she was not only deeply concerned about stopping the catastrophe in Palestine but also redirecting the nation’s priorities away from war spending and towards domestic needs.

 “Since the beginning of the year, I’ve paid $4,781 in federal taxes. Roughly 20% of that has gone into the defense budget and millions of that have gone to fund the Israeli military in this conflict and $966 of my taxes have gone towards that funding,” she said.

 “That money could have paid for one month’s rent or for a loan forgiveness, or used for  healthcare or for the municipal education budget. But it isn’t.”

  Prior to the forum, Hanan Abdulwahid stood and held a sign aloft which showed the picture of a boy in Palestine, Emad, who was killed by Israeli forces.

  Above the photos, the poster said, “For what sin was he killed?”

 Hanan said Emad, who was her cousin, was 16 and a sophomore in high school. “A regular teen-ager,” she said.

 On October 8, a day after Hamas attacked an Israeli town in southern Israel and killed 1300 people, the boy went outside for a walk with a friend in a town in the West Bank. Suddenly, she said, he was shot by an IDF soldier. Hanan said Emad was not engaging in any kind of protest at the time.

 “What was the purpose of this? There is no Hamas in the West Bank. I don’t know what the reason was,” she said.

 “He was shot in cold blood for no reason.”

 The cease-fire resolution was referred to the council’s miscellaneous matters committee which will review the proposal in the near future and if approved, will send it on to the full council for a vote.

  If approved, Bridgeport will be the latest city to pass a cease-fire resolution on the Gaza War. The resolutions are aimed at putting pressure on local congressional delegations and the Biden administration to work towards a cease-fire and stop funding for Israel’s war machine. Detroit, Michigan, Oakland, California and Atlanta Georgia have adopted these resolutions while New Haven is considering one.