Albany's Common Council hasn't been able to bring to a vote a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Before the council convened Monday, individuals representing Albany’s Palestinian, Muslim, Arab American and Jewish communities held a vigil outside city hall to urge the panel to act on a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Some went inside where they addressed councilors during public comment.
Kate Harlow identified herself as a Jewish resident of Albany's 6th ward. "I'm here today to demand that Albany Common Council pass a resolution that calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire to end the genocide and collective punishment of Palestinians, immediate delivery of humanitarian aid that is sufficient to address the socio-economic collapse in Gaza. And the immediate release of the nearly 3000 administrative detainees being held by Israel. I was also here two weeks ago to make the same demand,” Harlow said.
On October 16th, councilors unanimously passed a resolution condemning the attack on October 7. Julian Mostachetti is with Capital District Democratic Socialists of America. "I spoke against it, pointing out a consistent pattern in resolutions of this kind, and it's dishonesty by omission. Its refusal to acknowledge and therefore recognize the humanity of Palestinians, that they have a right to life and self-determination too, and that the long history of their brutal occupation must end for a lasting peace to be possible. Two months and approaching 20,000 dead later. And this body will not even recognize a resolution affirming that the mass killing of Palestinians should stop," said Mostachetti.
"My name is Fazia Parata. And I'd like to thank Council members Adams and Romero for their steadfast support for this community and unwavering support for justice, peace and solidarity. Today, I stand before you as a member of Palestinian family to demand the Albany Common Council pass a resolution that calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire...as this Council passed a resolution condemning October 7, was that not an international issue, and that resolution included language that was misleading, insulting and Islamophobic. Consistency is key in our approach to global issues. We cannot selectively choose which international crisis to acknowledge and which to ignore."
10th ward Councilor Owusu Anane says the ceasefire resolution is being held up by councilors he did not identify requesting amendments to the document. "And then when the time is right, it is going to be brought up for discussion. Again, this is about, this is how government works, right? We want to hear from everyone," Anane said. 'We all have different districts. We have districts that we have to represent the people that elected us. So again, I think people are making amendments, particularly on the council. And once all the amendments are made. I believe that the sponsor is going to try to move forward."
6th ward Councilor Gabriella Romero and 7th ward Councilor Sergio Adams co-sponsored the resolution, which calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire to allow more humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza. Here's Adams: "We are still working through the language of the resolution to get more support from council members and input. The goal of this is to make sure that this resolution keeps the integrity and the intent of calling for a peace and calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. But at the same time, we wanted to make sure that this is something that is able to gain support and make sure that the council also supports the message that we're sending. So as we continue to work on this, I will continue to work with the groups involved to myself and Gabriella to continue to work with the groups involved along with other council members to make sure that this process is addressed at our next upcoming meeting," said Adams.
That meeting is scheduled for January 4.
