I’m deeply disappointed that the Anchorage Assembly chose to ignore the immense suffering that is occurring in Gaza by rejecting a resolution calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas conflict at its Feb. 27 meeting.
I hadn’t known that such a vote was scheduled for Tuesday’s Assembly meeting or I would likely have attended, both to lend my support to the resolution and also to observe the Assembly’s deliberations and actions. So my comments are based on reporting done by the Anchorage Daily News and Alaska Public Media.
My reading of the resolution is that it was a fair and balanced request that sought to benefit both Israelis and Palestinians who have suffered in this war. It merely asked Alaska’s congressional delegation to support negotiations that would lead to a cease-fire. What’s the problem with that? I’m at a loss to understand how that statement would cause deeper divisions within our community, as Rabbi Abram Goodstein argued in his recent commentary, as did certain members of the Assembly.
I’m especially disappointed by those Assembly members who immediately moved to “kill” the proposed resolution and ultimately blocked debate.
Is this the action of a progressive, thoughtful, caring body?
I believe that Assembly passage of the resolution would have shown that the Anchorage community and its leadership (as represented by the Assembly) want our government to put an end to the killing and prolonged suffering of both Palestinians and those Israelis whose family members have been held hostage for months. More than simply condemning the violence occurring in Gaza, it would have been a compassionate call for peace and humanitarian aid to those who are suffering.
In rejecting the cease-fire resolution, the Assembly instead sent the message that it condones what is happening in Gaza — or, at best, doesn’t care enough to act. And that’s too bad.
— Bill Sherwonit
Anchorage
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