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WHEREAS, the Peace and Justice Commission advises the City Council on all matters
relating to the City of Berkeley’s role in issues of peace and social justice (Berkeley
Municipal Code Chapter 3.68.070); 1 and

WHEREAS, the Commission’s mandate finds that “the wealth that could be spent to
help the poor, heal the sick, house the homeless, educate the children, and care for the
elderly is now spent on ever more costly weapons of mass destruction;” and 

WHEREAS, after careful consideration the Berkeley City Council finds it proper to offer
its views on the massive escalation of violence and scope of destruction in Gaza; and

WHEREAS, there are many reasons for the Council to speak out about the Israel-Gaza
war, including:

BERKELEY IS A PEACE CITY. Berkeley has a unique history of fighting for
peace and universal human rights for at least 65 years; many of these issues
were taken on by the Council on the advice of the Peace and Justice
Commission. These movements include, among others, “Ban the Bomb” in the
early 1960s, the anti-Vietnam/Indochina war movement, “Stop the Draft,”
opposition to the Contra War in Nicaragua, the Grenada invasion, sister cities,
the Gulf War, post-9/11 Forever Wars, and the Impeach Bush, No Military
Recruiting at BHS, Conscientious Objectors Day campaigns, and, most recently,
a resolution calling for the cessation of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. 

THE PERSONAL CONNECTION TO ISRAEL AND PALESTINE. Many residents
of Berkeley have personal connections to family and friends in Israel and/or
Palestine, or have lived in those countries themselves, and are deeply affected
and traumatized by the last ten months of atrocities; these connections make it
painful to talk about the conflict, while at the same time making it imperative to do
so.

OUR MORAL FIBER. Archbishop Desmond Tutu, speaking about racism in
South Africa said, “In a situation of injustice and oppression, there can be no
neutrality. You have to take sides. You have to ask yourself, ‘Am I on the side of
justice or am I on the side of injustice?” 2 Our moral obligation, as a city, is to
speak out against the industry of militarism that precipitates thousands of deaths
of innocents while eroding our ability to educate, house, and uplift our local
communities.

THE THREAT OF A WIDENING WAR. In the occupied West Bank, the period
since October 7, 2023, has seen over 600 Palestinians killed in Israeli military
attacks or by settlers while the number of Palestinians held in Israeli detention,
often without charge or due process, has skyrocketed. 3 Political assassinations
beyond Israel’s borders, including mass explosion attacks in Lebanon on
September 17th and 18th, threaten to devolve into regional war which, given the
U.S. commitment to defend Israel, could turn into an international war. 4 An
increasing U.S. military presence, including the arrival of a guided missile
submarine and aircraft carrier strike group, contributes to the expanding risk of a
broader war that would further erode global peace and security. 5

A SISTERHOOD OF CITIES. The City of Berkeley has long maintained a
connection with cities suffering in war zones; the Peace and Justice
Commission’s mandate says, “The intentional destruction of cities in war is the
rule and not the exception;” and while the destruction is physical in Gaza City,
Rafah and many other cities throughout Gaza, it wounds cities like ours as well,
both morally and financially. Speaking on the war in Vietnam, Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. said, “The security we profess to seek in foreign adventures we will lose
in our decaying cities. The bombs we drop in Vietnam explode at home; they
destroy the hopes and possibilities for a decent America.”

SOCIAL AND CULTURAL COSTS OF WAR. The wages of war are counted not
only in the lives lost and the economic cost; war is also demeaning to our culture,
corrupting to our politics, increases sexual violence, poisons race relations,
destroys the natural environment and harms the mental health of millions; the
last year has inflamed the scourges of antisemitism and Islamophobia
experienced by members of the Berkeley community, which are likely to worsen
as the conflict continues; other negative effects include an exponential growth in
mass surveillance, an increased deployment of militarized force and belligerence
in civil society; 7 and

WHEREAS, the City of Berkeley mourns the thousands of people killed before, on, and
after October 7, 2023, including almost 45,000 people killed by military action – 2% of
the total population – and as many as 186,000 8 additionally killed due to famine and
disease in Gaza, and 1,200 in Israel, the majority of all these being civilians; the
destruction of all universities and 80% of health and education facilities in Gaza; an 85%
unemployment rate; the displacement of 85% of the entire population including 700,000
children; continuous airstrikes on refugee camps, hospitals, schools, mosques, and
cultural sites; the entire population facing acute food scarcity and imminent famine; 9 and
there is no certainty that the war is coming to a close; and

WHEREAS, the United States has sent more than $300 billion in military aid to Israel to
date, currently $3.8 billion annually, and approved additional packages of $14 billion in
February and $20 billion in August 2024, with virtually no conditions, oversight, or
accountability, and has increased the transfer of lethal aid during the current war; 10 and

WHEREAS, the $1.6 million annually in income taxes paid by Berkeley residents that
funds Israel’s military could otherwise be spent on housing, education, healthcare, and
infrastructure for our community; 11 and

WHEREAS, the soaring toll of death and destruction in Gaza and the spread of conflict
to other fronts around the region sears the conscience of people in Berkeley and around
the world, and the United Nations Security Council on June 10, 2024 mandated an
immediate, full and complete ceasefire and the release of hostages and prisoners on
both sides, 12 to no avail; and

WHEREAS, on September 18th, 2024, the United Nations General Assembly
overwhelmingly adopted the legal advisory opinion from the International Court of
Justice (ICJ) issued on July 19, 2024, 13 which determined that Israel’s occupation since
1967, and the subsequent creation of Israeli settlements and exploitation of natural
resources, are illegal under international law; 14 the Court also ruled that Israel should
pay reparations to the Palestinian people for the damage caused by the occupation,
allow all Palestinians displaced during the occupation to return to their original place of
residence – in keeping with the Right of Return outlined in prior UN General Assembly
resolutions 15 – and determined that Israeli occupation policies violate the International
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD); 16 and

WHEREAS, The Elders, a non-profit global group of respected senior leaders founded
by Nelson Mandela, went beyond the Security Council resolution in a July statement to
“call on political leaders who have influence to use their leverage to end Israel’s
atrocities in Gaza by suspending arms sales, to secure the immediate release of
hostages held by Hamas, and to compel the parties to commit to a permanent
ceasefire; and specifically, “All states providing arms to Israel - directly or indirectly -
must suspend arms transfers in response to systematic violations of international
humanitarian law in Gaza and across the occupied Palestinian territories;” 17 and

WHEREAS, The Elders’ statement calls out U.S. practices in particular, stating, “As
Israel’s closest ally and its largest provider of arms, the United States of America must
lead the way;” and

WHEREAS, on January 26, 2024, in the case brought to the International Court of
Justice (ICJ) by South Africa and joined by seven other countries, the Court found it
plausible that Israel was violating rights guaranteed under the Genocide Convention,
including “the right of the Palestinians in Gaza to be protected from acts of genocide,”
issuing provisional measures that Israel has refused to enact; and the ICJ issued
stronger follow-up orders on March 28 and May 24, 2024. 18

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council of the City of Berkeley that it is
not too late to halt and reverse the cycle of war, destruction, and dispossession that
have plagued Palestine for more than a century.

The Council recalls its statement in founding the Peace and Justice Commission in
1986 that “it is the responsibility of one and all to labor hard for peace and justice in
forums of appropriate scale.”

The uncontrolled war in Israel and Palestine is destructive to peace, security, and the
living conditions of all people living in Palestine and Israel. Continuation of war is not in
the interests of any group of people in Israel, the region, or around the world any more
than it is of the Palestinians.

The Council states that as U.S. citizens and residents, the most effective way we can
contribute to peace with justice in Israel and Palestine is to press our own government
to end the sale of weapons and tools that enable devastation.

As with a raging wildfire, the withdrawal of such fuel can only promote the reduction of
violence, and in so doing create the conditions for peace with justice.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City of Berkeley:

1) Urges the Biden administration to immediately end all weapons shipments andmilitary aid to Israel.

2) Urges the Biden administration to call for the unrestricted opening of crossings
into Gaza in order to allow sufficient humanitarian assistance into the territory and to
allow the tens of thousands of grievously injured to access necessary medical treatment
without further delay.

3) Urges the Biden administration to demand the immediate end of Israel’s illegal
occupation of Palestinian territories – the West Bank and East Jerusalem – and an end
to the 16-year-long siege and blockade of Gaza in compliance with international law,
and full withdrawal from Gaza.

4) Condemns the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on civilians in Israel, the
murders, and the kidnappings.

5) Calls for the immediate release of the approximately nine thousand Palestinians
including young minors held in administrative detention, as well as all Palestinian
political prisoners and all Israeli hostages held in Gaza.

6) Urges the Biden administration to formally recognize the State of Palestine,
support its full membership into the United Nations, and affirm the Palestinian right to
selfdetermination through self-governance and the Right of Return.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City of Berkeley endorses Congressional
Resolution 786 (Bush and Tlaib), calling for an immediate permanent ceasefire. 19

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City of Berkeley vows to combat all forms of hate,
including Islamophobia, antisemitism, anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian racism,
xenophobia, and ethnonationalism.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be sent to President Joseph R. Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Vice President Kamala Harris,
Representative Barbara Lee, Senator Alex Padilla, Senator Laphonza R. Butler,
Representative Cori Bush, and Representative Rashida Tlaib. 

1 https://berkeley.municipal.codes/BMC/3.68
2 “Desmond Tutu at Stanford University, January 21, 1986,”
”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3GnrwSZkLU (Min. 42:05) 3
“Statistics on Palestinians in Israeli Custody,” June 24, 2024,
https://www.btselem.org/statistics/detainees_and_prisoners
4 https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-lebanon-
hezbollahe3ca9c83642056f962fdf76319e3b8de
5 “‘On verge of an explosion': Policeman's killing part of spiralling West Bank violence,” BBC, August 12,
2024, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd735zvg1q9o and
“In the West Bank, Palestinians Struggle to Adjust to a New Reality,” Feb.2, 2024, The New York Times,
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/02/world/middleeast/west-bank-palestine-israel.html
6 Martin Luther King Jr.’s moral stance against the Vietnam War offers lessons on how to fight for peace
in the Middle East ,” Hajar Yazdiha, USC Dorsife,1-12-2024,
https://dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories/martinluther-king-vietnam-war/#
7 “Costs of War,” Watson Institute, Brown University, September 2023,
https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/costs/social
8 “Counting the dead in Gaza: difficult but essential ,”Rasha Khatib, July 20 2024, The Lancet,
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)01169-3/fulltext
9 “GAZA STRIP: Famine is imminent as 1.1 million people half of Gaza experience catastrophic food
insecurity,” Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC),
https://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfowebsite/alerts-archive/issue-97/en/
10 “U.S. Aid to Israel in Four Charts,” Jonathan Masters, May 31 2024, Council on Foreign Relations,
https://www.cfr.org/article/us-aid-israel-four-charts
11 “U.S. Military Funding to Israel Map,” U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights,
https://uscpr.org/activistresource/us-military-funding-to-israel-map/
12 UNSC Resolution 2728. See Robert Barron, US Institute of Peace, 3-26-2024,
https://www.usip.org/publications/2024/03/what-does-un-cease-fire-resolution-mean-israel-gaza-war
13 https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/ltd/n24/266/48/pdf/n2426648.pdf
14 https://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/186/186-20240719-adv-01-00-en.pdf
15 https://www.un.org/unispal/document/auto-insert-210170/
16 “Top UN court says Israeli occupation of West Bank and East Jerusalem is illegal,” CNN, 7-19-2024,
https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/19/middleeast/israel-west-bank-jerusalem-occupation-icj-
opinionintl/index.html
17 “The Elders call for suspension of arms transfers to Israel to end Gaza atrocities,” 4-4-2024,
https://theelders.org/news/elders-call-suspension-arms-transfers-israel-end-gaza-atrocities
18 ICJ Order of 26 January 2024,” https://www.icj-cij.org/node/203447
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/world-court-orders-israel-take-measures-ensure-food-getsinto-
gaza-2024-03-28/
“ICJ Order of 24 May 2024,” https://www.icj-cij.org/node/204091#:.
19 https://bush.house.gov/media/press-releases/calls-for-ceasefire-grow-in-month-following-introduction-