They Can't Fight Washington on Gaza. But They Can Fight City Hall.

[Uncle Joe]

A march in downtown Detroit, one of several cities to have passed a resolution urging Israel to stop shelling Gaza.Credit...Jeff Kowalsky/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

(snip)

As the death toll in the Israel-Hamas war has mounted and bombing has killed more than 15,500 people according to Gaza health officials, disagreements have roiled communities large and small. Early support for Israel following the Oct. 7 slaughter of some 1,200 Israelis by Hamas has been met with calls to help Palestinians.

Local resolutions on international affairs largely amount to symbolic gestures that play no direct role in foreign policymaking. But they can send a signal to allies abroad over the domestic political temperature and provide a vehicle for some of the most opinionated voters to say their piece.

Those calling for cease-fire resolutions believe that this time, a critical mass of local gestures may ultimately convey to the White House that it has lost support for backing Israel’s military campaign. Especially if the resolutions come from Democratic strongholds that serve as President Biden’s base.

“You can see the momentum,” said Eduardo Martinez, the mayor of Richmond, Calif., which was the first city to pass a cease-fire resolution, deploying some of the strongest criticism of Israel and accusing it of “apartheid” and “ethnic cleansing.”

(snip)

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/08/us/israel-gaza-ceasefire-local-governments.html

[JustAnotherGen]

1. I'm a Council Woman elect in NJ

I won't even vote to have the discussion on January 3rd.

Rateables are where it's at. And folks want good stewards of their tax dollars.