Middle East conflict divides East Bay politics
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COUNTY NEWS
ISRAEL-GAZA WAR
—RIFT IN THE PARTY—The Richmond City Council last week made it clear they stand on the side of Gazans following the surprise Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas. The resolution passed in Richmond was quickly denounced by Jewish groups.
—Richmond’s resolution taps into a rift in the East Bay between unwavering supporters of Israel and progressives who sympathize with the decade-long plight of Palestinians living in Gaza.
—Rep. Barbara Lee supports a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war. But that’s not surprising since she has consistently been adverse to war.
—Rep. Ro Khanna has been apprehensive about following suit despite his progressive credentials. Progressives have exerted pressure on Khanna to change his stance.
—Meanwhile, State Sen. Aisha Wahab staked a middle ground. She penned a letter last week to President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken urging the U.S. to use diplomacy to ensure peace and security for all in the Middle East.
—On the local front, individual elected officials have mostly avoided the Israel-Gaza question.
—Keep an eye on the next Alameda County Democratic Central Committee meeting to see if the issue becomes a flashpoint. This group is perhaps the most progressive in the entire county.
—Those steeped in the social justice movement in support of African Americans and other minority groups see direct parallels with the cause of Palestinians in Gaza.
—Hayward Councilmember George Syrop made his opinion in support of Gaza clear at a rally earlier this month.
—The Hayward Herald, a Substack you should also follow and subscribe, reported that Syrop called out other elected officials for their hypocrisy, including those on his own council, and took exception with the federal government’s support of Israel in the conflict.
—“The hypocrisy is overwhelming. That we’ll wave blue and yellow flags when Ukraine is under attack… but if the people under attack are brown and the aggressor is our friend—Palestine somehow fails to live up to our moral standards? It’s bullshit, and today is a collective affirmation that it’s bullshit…
—“The fact that our tax dollars, created by our labor as we barely scrape by to survive, isn’t being spent to fix our crumbling roads or keep our schools open. It’s being spent on weapons to literally kill children and to kill us when we decide we’ve had enough,” Syrop said.
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