The city of Greenfield is the latest in western Massachusetts to pass a ceasefire resolution.
In what might be the fastest passage in the Pioneer Valley so far, the Greenfield City Council approved the item Monday evening during a special session, held remotely and ahead of its regular meeting on Wednesday.
By a vote of 6-2, with two councilors abstaining, the resolution was approved during a meeting lasted just over an hour - a fraction of the five-hour meeting the town council in Amherst held before passing its own resolution earlier in the month.
Before Amherst, the city of Northampton passed a similar resolution in February, following a special meeting that also lasted several hours.
The matter came before Greenfield councilors during the regular meeting on February 21, in the form of public comments. A number of residents called on the council to pass a resolution.
That happened again Monday night, as residents in favor of the item were the vast majority making comments before any votes.
That included Emily Miller, who read from a letter she says was signed by 63 Jewish residents in Greenfield.
“We urge you to join us in calling for an end to U.S. complicity in the bombing and annihilation of Gaza, and for the removal of obstacles to urgently needed humanitarian aid,” Miller said. “Thank you so much for holding this meeting.”
Following public comments, the council spent the second half of the meeting going over language.
The resolution, originally titled “Supporting a permanent ceasefire and preventing further loss of human life in Gaza,” primarily calls on the United States government to facilitate an immediate ceasefire in the region.
It further calls for humanitarian aid for Gaza, as well as the release of all hostages and political prisoners held by both sides of the conflict, and for the U.S. to redirect military aid toward supporting the American public.
The resolution saw several amendments proposed and adopted. Councilor Rachel Gordon, one of the sponsors, moved to have it updated with the latest death toll numbers from the war, including 32,000 Palestinians and 1,400 Israelis killed since the October 7 attacks by Hamas on Israel and the resulting campaign in Gaza.
Following that, Councilor John Garrett made a series of further amendments, including dropping the word “permanent” from the resolution.
He says, as a history teacher, he spends “a lot of time worrying about language,” and that keeping the resolution focused on peace rather than a pause that’s unlikely to be permanent was his motivation.
“This is not a resolution about debating the causes of Oct. 7, or anything along those lines,” he said Monday. “But the phrase 'permanent ceasefire' - there's going to be rockets fired, and to say 'permanent' is, unfortunately - not a likely outcome in the near-term.”
Councilor Gordon later said she accepted the changes to the bill she and Councilor Marianne Bullock sponsored, believing it did not significantly alter the content.
The council went on to approve the changes, and then the resolution itself.
Like other resolutions passed in Massachusetts, it also calls on the city clerk to forward copies of the resolution to United States President Joe Biden, as well as the state’s two U.S. senators and Massachusetts 2nd district Representative Jim McGovern.
On the other side of the state, Somerville and Cambridge have passed similar resolutions.
