Chicago Passes Gaza Ceasefire Resolution

The Chicago City Council passed a resolution this week calling for a ceasefire in the ongoing conflict between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas. The move came despite Chicago facing significantly higher crime rates in recent years as well as an ongoing, and growing, migrant crisis.

The vote regarding the resolution was tied prior to the intervention of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D). Johnson broke the veto Wednesday to approve the measure.

The text condemned Israel’s fighting in the Gaza Strip following the Hamas terrorist attack that started the war last October.

The measure was 23-23 prior to the mayor’s tiebreaking vote.

Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez (D) said that the city council passed the measure to show that it “care[d] because it matters here at home as well and we care about our brothers and sisters in Palestine, and today we say yes to cease-fire, yes to the resolution, yes to change here in Chicago and across the world.”

The move was condemned by the Israeli consulate, which said in a statement that the resolution “undermines the position of the Biden Administration, the International Court of Justice and the European Union and the overwhelming majority of Americans who understand that the release of all the hostages held in Gaza and dismantling Hamas’ terrorist infrastructure are preconditions to any ceasefire.”

Chicago today: The City Council spent the day passing a ceasefire resolution for Gaza, with Mayor Brandon Johnson personally making sure it passed.

Also Chicago today: Multiple people shot near a school with kids having to do CPR. pic.twitter.com/GjQvq7etyl

— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) January 31, 2024

Chicago is not the only major city to pass such a ceasefire resolution. Oakland, California approved a similar measure last November.

The Bay Area city passed the measure despite also suffering from a sharp increase in crime in recent years. Oakland saw a large increase in murders in 2023 and has seen a large growth in both property and violent crime since 2019.

The resolution was approved by an 8-0 margin. The council also rejected an amendment by one member that condemned Hamas’ use of murder and taking hostages during the Oct. 7 terrorist attack.

Despite the efforts of the two cities, they carry no legal weight and a similar measure is not being considered seriously by either house of Congress.