We, Neighbors of Minneapolis, are writing to urge Mayor Frey and City Council to adopt a Minneapolis resolution calling for a permanent ceasefire in Palestine.

To begin, we believe in basic human rights: that every single person—regardless of where they were born, the color of their skin, or their faith—deserves to live in safety, wellness, dignity, and joy. The current humanitarian crisis unfolding in Palestine is perhaps the most visible violation of human values and decency many of us have seen in our lifetimes. The past two months have also uncovered the degree of violence the State of Israel and our elected officials are capable of supporting without any measure of concern for civilian life.

On October 7th, 2023—after committing decades of occupation, land theft, ethnic cleansing and genocide in Palestine—the State of Israel was attacked by forces from within Gaza. This attack resulted in 1,210 Israeli deaths and 240 hostages taken. In reaction, the IDF—Israel’s occupying force—initiated a collective punishment campaign and relentless assault on the People of Palestine with targeted airstrikes against critical infrastructure, housing, schools, hospitals, and refugee camps. As of this writing, Israel’s assault on the civilian population of Gaza has resulted in over 18,000 Palestinians brutally slaughtered and over 50,000 wounded and missing (Al Jazeera). These civilian casualties are overwhelmingly women, children, and elders, and health officials and humanitarian aid organizations are estimating over 40% are children between the ages of 0 and 19 (Reuters).

While we are appalled by any act of intentional violence against civilian populations, we are horror-stricken by the magnitude and cruelty of the violence being inflicted by the State of Israel against civilian populations in Gaza and the West Bank. The devastation has now exceeded that of the original Nakba in 1948, during which land seizure and mass murder by Israeli settlers resulted in over 500 Palestinian villages destroyed and the lives of over 15,000 Palestinian Peoples taken—including not just Muslims, but Christians and Jewish peoples with deep roots in Palestine as well.

It is also important to emphasize that beyond military bombardment and ground forces violence, Palestinian families trapped by the blockade in Gaza are experiencing displacement, lack of drinking water, and starvation without the ability to flee. An article from Reuters published on December 7th, 2023 states, “Aid agencies warn that a humanitarian disaster in Gaza is worsening by the hour with most of its 2.3 million people homeless and trapped in a tiny, embattled coastal enclave, with little food, water, medical care, fuel or secure shelter.”

Crucially, we must address the dangerous false equivalency being made between antisemitism and the condemnation of Zionism and the State of Israel in this genocide. Jewish Voices for Peace make clear in their resource “A History of Jewish Alternatives to Zionism” that a robust Jewish-led anti-Zionist movement has existed for decades, even before the establishment of Israel as a State. We are witnessing this false equivalency being relentlessly driven not just by the State of Israel, but also by our elected officials in the United States and settler-colonial governments globally.

We find it deeply disturbing to witness Jewish identity and faith being used as justification for Israel's assault on civilians in Palestine, especially when considering that the violent oppression and genocide of millions of Jewish peoples in the Holocaust occurred less than a century ago and still lives in the bodies and memories of Jewish people and their descendants alive today.

As neighbors and community members, we vehemently condemn this horrific violence by the State of Israel against the Palestinian People. We are made sick by the fact that our United States Government is actively supporting genocide and war on the Palestinian People with an astounding number of sophisticated military weapons and multi-billion-dollar packages of our own hard-earned taxes. We are made sick by the fact that roughly $1 billion in state public worker pensions—of Minnesota teachers, nurses, library and clerical workers, and more—are invested by the Minnesota State Board of investments (SBI) in companies directly complicit in the ongoing genocide in Palestine and waging racist wars globally.

We state loudly and clearly our support and commitment to not just the People of Palestine, but to our Neighbors of Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, and Jewish identity right here in Minneapolis. In addition to leading local work for a Free Palestine, the Council on American-Islamic Relations are uncovering an increasing number of attacks on our neighbors and communities of Islamic faith right here in Minnesota (CAIR).

We cannot abide any of it. For years, the People of Minneapolis and local organizations have committed to undoing racism in our communities. It is essential we recognize that we cannot claim to be an anti-racist community while staying silent as neighbors and as a city.

We demand the City of Minneapolis hear our voices and pass a ceasefire resolution now. It’s time we join our neighbors in Oakland, California; Atlanta, Georgia; Providence, Rhode Island; and other cities across the US and the World to demand an end to the onslaught against the People of Palestine. In addition to a permanent ceasefire in Palestine, we further demand an end to the blockade, the release of all hostages, unrestricted entry of humanitarian aid, and the restoration of critical infrastructure in Palestine.

From the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, from Palestine to right here in South Minneapolis, all People deserve to live in safety and prosperity. This is why we, Neighbors of Minneapolis, are committed to using our voices at all levels of government to support the Palestinian struggle for Freedom and Liberation until the bloodshed comes to an end, justice is served, and peace is restored in Palestine and beyond.

Signed,
Neighbors of Minneapolis

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References

https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/resource/zionism/

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2023/10/9/israel-hamas-war-in-maps-and-charts-live-tracker

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/how-many-palestinians-have-died-gaza-war-how-will-counting-continue-2023-12-06/

https://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_pcbs/PressRelease/nakba%2060.pdf

https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-minnesota-seeks-community-info-on-fire-on-property-of-minneapolis-mosque/