St. Paul City Council Unanimously Passes Ceasefire Resolution

The St. Paul City Council unanimously passed a ceasefire resolution on Wednesday. While protesters supporting a ceasefire in Gaza have attended council meetings for weeks, until today only Council Member Nelsie Yang publicly supported a ceasefire resolution. In addition to the pro-ceasefire protesters, there was also a contingent present carrying Israeli flags and signs saying “We Stand with Israel.”

Council Member Cheniqua Johnson introduced the resolution, which was also co-sponsored by Council President Mitra Jalali, Council Vice President Hwa Jeong Kim, and Council Members Nelsie Yang and Anika Bowie.

The resolution, entitled “Calling for an immediate and permanent mutual ceasefire in Israel and Gaza,” opens by stating an intention to unify the city and by expressing concern for Palestinian, Israeli, Muslim, and Jewish residents. It condemns the killing of both Palestinian and Israeli civilians.

The resolution asks the Biden administration to facilitate a permanent ceasefire and a release of both Israeli and Palestinian hostages, ensure that humanitarian aid is allowed into Gaza, and discontinue military aid to Israel unless the Israeli government provides guarantees of civilian safety.

Before the resolution was passed, all seven council members spoke in favor of it. Several council members mentioned that a common theme of the feedback they have heard from constituents is a desire for peace.

While Council Member Yang offered support for the resolution, she also called on her fellow council members to act more decisively in the future rather than ignoring constituents because “silence doesn’t make the issue go away.”

Yang also acknowledged that the resolution isn’t perfect because it leaves out the historical context in which the conflict is playing out. This statement was met with boos from the pro-Israel protesters and a shouted accusation that Yang had a “one-sided” view of history, requiring Jalali to pound her gavel and ask the crowd to listen respectfully.

Similarly, when Council Member Bowie was speaking about the suffering occurring in Gaza an audience member interjected “rape of Jewish women,” leading Jalali to threaten to remove people from the chamber.

Council Member Noecker shared that she is especially empathetic to constituents’ concerns because her children’s favorite teacher was killed in Israel on October 7. She explained that while she believes that involvement in international issues is not work the city council was elected to do, she wants to “acknowledge the immense pain” that has led constituents to demand action and she feels that the resolution is fair and will unite the community.