First it was at the Minneapolis City Council, then at St. Paul’s, and now the Columbia Heights Council has been asked to pass a resolution calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
About 100 people packed the Columbia Heights council chamber and filled the overflow rooms for the Feb. 12 regular council meeting. Many of them wore clothing identifying them as supporters of a potential council resolution supporting Palestinians in Gaza.
Mayor Amáda Márquez Simula and Council Member Rachel James wore head coverings, which they said was in honor of World Hijab Day.
The council took no action on any resolution, saying it would be taken up at the Council’s next meeting on Feb. 26. Márquez Simula said a potential resolution was just brought to the council’s attention the past week.
There were no signs and no demonstrations at the meeting. Márquez Simula asked at the beginning of the meeting that there be no signs, and many of the visitors who had brought signs, put them away. She later thanked the visitors for their decorum.
Two cities in Minnesota, Minneapolis and Hastings, have passed a resolution calling for a cease-fire in Gaza. St. Paul’s City Council voted against the resolution.
A series of speakers took turns in addressing the Council for over two and a half hours.
Speakers noted there is a Palestinian presence in Columbia Heights, including Minnesota’s first mosque.
One speaker, who identified himself as a member of the Jewish community, said Israel is like a colonial power. He and several other speakers used the term “mass murder” in regard to the Israeli action in Gaza for the past three months.
Taher Herzallah, who serves on the Columbia Heights Parks and Recreation Commission, said he has lost seven family members in Gaza, “destroyed by U.S. bombs and warplanes.”
The Council began its business meeting at 8:40 p.m.
Ed Higgins testified in favor of a resolution calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. (Al Zdon)