The Oakland City Council unanimously passed a resolution Monday calling for a permanent cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war — while spurning language that would have condemned the terrorist group for the Oct. 7 massacre following an uproar from anti-Israel protesters.
Councilman Dan Kalb’s amendment spotlighting Hamas’ role in the slaughter of an estimated 1,200 people across southern Israel was rejected by a 6-2 vote.
The proposal was met by boos from demonstrators, who condemned the language as “anti-Arab” — with some going so far as to spread conspiracy theories that the Israel Defense Forces had slaughtered Jews to justify an invasion of Gaza.
“There have not been beheading of babies and rapings. Israel murdered their own people on Oct. 7,” one woman told the city council.
Another woman, who was eventually cut off from speaking, claimed: “The notion that this was a massacre of Jews is a fabricated narrative. Many of those killed on Oct. 7, including children, were killed by the IDF.”
A male speaker also blasted Kalb’s proposed amendment, claiming it was a double-standard to blame Hamas over the massacre given the decades of violence that has come to define Israel-Palestinian relations in the Middle East.
“To hear them complain about Hamas violence is like listening to a wife-beater complain when his wife finally stands up and fights back,” the man said.
Kalb did not immediately respond to the Post’s request for comment.
The Oakland resolution ultimately passed without any charged language against Hamas or Israel, with councilmember Caroll Fife noting that it went through four drafts in order to “de-politicize” it.
Instead, the measure focused solely on calling for Congress to support a permanent cease-fire in Gaza, along with ensuring the release of all hostages held by Hamas. It also urged more humanitarian aid to the Palestinian enclave.
Oakland is the latest American municipality to vote on such a resolution, joining the likes of Detroit, Atlanta and Providence. Many of the cities to pass such resolutions have large Arab communities
The resolution came during an extension to a fragile truce agreement between Israel and Hamas, which is set to expire on Wednesday with the release of at least 10 more hostages.
Despite negotiators’ claims that both sides appear willing to extend the cease-fire for another two days, no agreement has been reached as of Wednesday morning.
With Post wires