One-sided "cease-fire" resolution returns to Raleigh City Council on Jan. 9
Multiple groups behind draft "cease-fire" resolution targeting only Israel with no mention of Hamas
Update 1-9-24: Weather has caused the session to be canceled. The new date is January 16 and those wishing to speak will have to sign up again to do so.
On Jan. 9, the Raleigh City Council is expected to address a pro-Hamas "cease-fire" resolution crafted by three groups; North Carolina Environmental Justice Network (NCEJN), the Triangle chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), and the Party of Socialism and Liberation (PSL Carolinas).
Last November, I chronicled the events of a Raleigh City Council meeting that was dominated by pro-Hamas and pro-Palestine speakers.
Here are the opening paragraphs:
On Nov. 21, 2023, the Raleigh City Council held its regular public meeting and was met with a large number of pro-Palestine speakers during the public comment portion of the meeting.
The public comments took up over an hour and a half of the initial part of the six-hour-long public meeting.
It had been rumored that the council was considering a "cease-fire" resolution.
Groups putting forth the draft resolution apparently included Students for Justice in Palestine as well as Jewish Voice for Peace; two groups well-known for anti-Israel positions and supporters of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
That rumor was confirmed with remarks made by the final speaker during the public comments who chastised the council for not acting on a resolution that "we gave you last week" before telling the council they need to "prove" they have a "moral compass" and "follow-through and demand a cease-fire now."
Nearly all of the speakers called for a "cease-fire" while side-stepping or completely leaving out the reason for the fighting - the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack in which terrorists murdered 1,200 civilians including infants. The attacks included rape, torture, and reports of infants beheaded and children burned alive. Hamas also took hostages during its terror raid with the count being somewhere 240-247. A recent four-day cease-fire that began late this past week saw the return of 50 of those hostages to Israel and Hamas received 150 prisoners from Israeli jails with another 14, including Americans, expected to be returned today, Nov. 26.
Not much has changed between that November meeting and the upcoming Jan. 9 meeting.
The draft resolution is the same and can be read here.
Like the majority of public comments given at the November 2023 council meeting, the resolution doesn't make a single mention of Hamas, a designated terror organization.
The resolution is void of the Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel, as well as the continued discoveries of terror tunnels in Gaza. It also doesn’t address the hostages Hamas still holds, or the weapons caches that continue to be found in schools and hospitals.
The resolution also does not acknowledge that Hamas and its ally, Islamic Jihad, rejected an Egyptian proposal that they "relinquish power in the Gaza Strip in return for a permanent ceasefire." The rejection was reported by Reuters on Christmas day.
Additionally, the resolution ignores the fact that humanitarian aid sent to Palestinians through UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in Palestine, has been hijacked by Hamas, per a Gazan citizen.
The citizen was recorded explaining that Hamas controls all humanitarian aid coming into Palestine and says that the day Hamas “rose to power” the terror organization “took control of everything.”
The recording, accessible below, was released by the Israeli Defense Forces just a few days after Christmas.
More To The Story
NCEJN's co-director is Rania Masri. She has been one of the leading organizers pushing for the Raleigh City Council to adopt the resolution.
Masri spoke at a Nov. 28 event on the UNC Chapel Hill campus during which she stated, “Oct. 7 for many of us from the region was a beautiful day." She also said, “Let us demand the eradication of Zionism.”
Voice4Israel NC captured her remarks:
Per Voice4Israel, Masri publicly stated last November that targeting city councils is "one of the most powerful places we can insert our influence..."
UNC Chapel Hill is now facing a federal Office of Civil Rights investigation over the antisemitic statements made at the November event.
Masri posted a video on Facebook praising Hamas and the terror organization “our heroes," who are "legitimate" while comparing them to Marvel superheroes. The video also includes footage of Hamas terrorists paragliding into Israel on Oct. 7, Hamas tunnel construction, and rocket building.
Those wishing to attend the Jan. 7 Raleigh City Council meeting can sign up to give public comments. Typically, speakers are given three minutes each.
Individuals who sit on the Raleigh City Council include Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin, Mayor Pro Tem Jonathan Melton, Mary Black, Corey D. Branch, Stormie Forte, Jane Harrison, Christina Jones, and Megan Patton.
Those wishing to write to the council and the mayor can do so through these email addresses:
Council Staff: councilstaff@raleighnc.gov
Mayor Staff: mayorstaff@raleighnc.gov
Council Members: citycouncilmembers@raleighnc.gov
The meetings are held in the auditorium of the Raleigh Municipal Building located at 222 W. Hargett St.
Details on the meeting, including the live stream link and agenda information, can be found on the City of Raleigh calendar.
Related Reading: