The San Francisco Bay Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SFBA) confirmed this week that the recently passed Gaza ceasefire resolution has been officially processed in San Francisco, after it was confirmed that San Francisco Mayor London Breed did not veto the resolution.
In a statement, Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC) Executive Director Lara Kiswani thanked elected officials for supporting the resolution and standing firm on the values of San Francisco voters.
“Despite Mayor Breed’s unfortunate misrepresentation of the democratic process and her disturbing echo of dangerous, racist and overused anti-Arab language, we look forward to working with all elected officials to shape a city that reflects the dignity and humanity of all our communities, especially those affected by violence, war and displacement,” she said in a statement.
He added that “as long as the US-backed war on Gaza continues, we will continue to join millions of people around the world in demanding an immediate and permanent ceasefire.”
The resolution drew what Board of Supervisors members described as “unprecedented” public support, with more than 65,000 emails sent to the Board in support of the resolution, thousands of residents turning out at City Hall, and more than 12 hours of public comment in support of it.
“JVP Bay Area is one of many grassroots community organizations that urged Mayor Breed not to veto the San Francisco Board of Supervisors resolution. The majority of San Franciscans, including the majority of the Jewish community, support an immediate ceasefire as the only way to end the genocidal violence Israel is inflicting on Palestinians. It is also the only way to ensure the safety and return of Israeli civilian hostages. This resolution reflects San Francisco’s progressive values,” said Elliot Helmon of Jewish Voice for Peace, Bay Area.
“This resolution makes all of our communities, including Arabs, Palestinians and Jews, safer. We are proud that San Francisco is standing on the right side of history at this moment, despite attempts by right-wing and pro-Israel advocacy organizations to circumvent the democratic process,” he stressed.
CAIR said that around 30,000 Palestinians, including more than 9,000 children, have been killed by Israel's bombing campaigns in Gaza, and hunger and disease have taken hold in Gaza.
Palestinians living in San Francisco have lost thousands of family members in Gaza and the West Bank in the past 100 days. Recent polls indicate that Americans are overwhelmingly in favor of a ceasefire in the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza.
“To say we are extremely disappointed by Mayor Breed’s January 19 letter to members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors repeating Israel’s propaganda justifying genocide is an understatement, and her omission of Israeli war crimes and rising Islamophobia is blatant,” said CAIR San Francisco Bay Area (CAIR-SFBA) Executive Director Zahra Billoo.
But she commended the thousands of people who called on the city of San Francisco to show moral leadership and join the global call for a ceasefire in Gaza. “As long as the genocide in Palestine continues, we too must continue to raise our voices,” she said.
This publication was supported in whole or part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the CaliFornia State Library.
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