Joining Northampton, Amherst and Greenfield, the Easthampton City Council approved a resolution calling for an end to violence in Gaza as the war between Israel and Hamas continues.
Entitled “Easthampton City Council Resolution Pertaining to a Ceasefire in Gaza,” the item passed on Wednesday night calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire.
The resolution touches on the 1,200 people killed during the initial Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, as well as 250 hostages taken during the offensive.
It goes on to describe the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as Israeli forces bombard the region – leading to nearly 32,500 people killed and 75,000 wounded.
With only one councilor voting to abstain, city officials passed the language without much debate – something a large number of speakers requested during the public comment section Wednesday night, including Easthampton resident, Ian Petty.
“There is no other item in front of you that has anywhere near this level of support from the Easthampton community or has undergone this serious of a deliberative process,” Petty said. “Any adjustment, amendment or delay is an insult to each one of these residents that have put in so much time and effort to build this resolution, and an insult to the democratic process.”
Petty touched on the dialogue held during the previous Rules and Government Relations Committee meetings, where residents weighed in on the resolution’s language throughout March before it was sent to the full council.
Recent events from Gaza also came up, including how Israeli airstrikes killed multiple World Central Kitchen aid workers, as described by resident Deb Friedman.
“Seven international aid workers from World Central Kitchen - I'm sure you all heard about this - were killed by the Israeli military, despite having fully disclosed who they were and where they were operating,” Friedman said before the council. “This organization has said it now has to pause aid operations in Gaza because of the attack.”
The public comment section also featured residents asking the council to at least reconsider the resolution before it. Some argued the language did not incorporate enough viewpoints and lacked broad consensus.
Heather Deirdre said most residents would prefer the council focus on local matters rather than foreign policy. She added that all agree the war in Gaza must end, but added that Hamas has rejected previous ceasefire proposals.
“We urge you to consider amending the language to instead include a mutual and temporary humanitarian ceasefire, with language that is balanced and reflective of both the unbiased facts of the current situation and the full spectrum of perspective from all of your constituents,” she said.
Councilor James Kwiecinski, who chairs the rules committee, addressed what he felt were concerns about the resolution, specifically when it came to the number of civilian deaths mentioned.
The Associated Press has reported that the Gaza Ministry of Health quote "doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count."
“Does it really matter whether it's 30,000 or 20,000 or 10,000 civilians? One civilian is a civilian too many - one,” Kwiecinski said.
The resolution also calls for the release of all hostages and detainees held by both sides, that humanitarian aid make its way to Gaza, and that a copy of the resolution be sent to both of the state’s U.S. senators, as well as Western Massachusetts Congressman Richard Neal.
