Title
RESOLUTION SUPPORTING A PERMANENT CEASEFIRE TO PREVENT LOSS OF HUMAN LIFE IN THE MIDDLE EAST. (AMENDED)
Body
BY COUNCILORS AWAL, DURRWACHTER AND MAYOU:
WHEREAS, the Duluth city council works to ensure the safety, health, dignity, and freedom of people every day. To that end, we must speak to unify our city and not divide it;
WHEREAS, in this moment, we are concerned for the health and welfare of our Palestinian, Israeli, Muslim, and Jewish inhabitants, who are deeply hurting;
WHEREAS, on October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel by Hamas and other armed groups resulted in more than 200 hostages being taken captive, and the deaths of more than 1,100 Israelis, including approximately 800 civilians;
WHEREAS, the Cabinet of Israel subsequently formally declared war against Hamas, and the Israeli defense minister ordered a "complete siege" on Gaza;
WHEREAS, since the war began, Gaza has been largely cut off from humanitarian aid such that Palestinian civilians and the Palestinian people are now facing a humanitarian catastrophe;
WHEREAS, Palestinians living in Gaza are being killed at an unprecedented rate. Over 30,000 Gazans - including at least 12,500 children - have been killed in the past five months. Over 300 medical workers and over 100 journalists have been killed. Proportional to population, the death toll in Gaza is the equivalent of about 3.1 million American deaths. In addition, over 70,000 Gazans are wounded, and over 7,000 are missing under the rubble;
WHEREAS, the current war between the state of Israel and Hamas marks the most significant escalation in decades, and continued escalation could result in a larger regional conflict with devastating consequences;
WHEREAS, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has found there to be credible evidence that the state of Israel may have committed acts of genocide, and has issued a binding legal order for Israel to cease certain specific acts, including taking all reasonable actions to prevent...
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