Kingston lawmakers to once again consider Gaza ceasefire resolution

Pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli speakers can be seen during the public comment period of the Kingston Common Council meeting on June 4, 2024, at City Hall. The Joint Council’s Laws and Rules Committee will consider a new resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza on June 20. (Brian Hubert/Daily Freeman)

KINGSTON, NY — The Joint Council’s Laws and Rules Committee is set to discuss adoption of a commemorative resolution calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza at the Joint Council’s Laws and Rules Committee meeting. Thursday, after supporters of the resolution dominated public comment periods at Common Council meetings since the beginning of this year.

As lawmakers will discuss the resolution introduced by Teryl Mickens, D-Ward 5, and co-sponsored by Michele Hirsch, D-Ward 9, Bryant Drew Andrews, D-Ward 7, and Michael Tierney, D-Ward 2, at the Meeting at city hall at 6:30 p.m., they will not take public comments. Lawmakers said the full council could vote on the resolution as early as the July Common Council meeting if it makes it out of committee.

“We believe this correctly reflects the stated interests of the majority of voters who continue to speak passionately in favor of a ceasefire resolution issued by the Common Council on behalf of the City of Kingston,” Mickens said when submitting the resolution to the Common Council. President Andrea Shaut.

The resolution calls on the Joint Council to “adopt a commemorative resolution calling on representatives to sponsor, co-sponsor and support resolutions calling for a permanent ceasefire in Israel and Palestine and the lifting of the siege of Gaza.”

The resolution specifically calls on “our leaders in Albany and Washington to sponsor and support resolutions calling for an immediate permanent ceasefire on Israeli and Palestinian lands to protect and save human lives, to release all hostages of both sides of the conflict, to end unrestricted military funding. in Israel, to finance and provide humanitarian aid to the victims of this war and lift the siege on Palestinian lands.

This is not the first time that the Common Council has adopted a ceasefire resolution. A previous resolution introduced by Michele Hirsch, D-Ward 9, died in committee in January.

Since the resolution was abandoned, pro-Palestinian supporters have continued to demand passage of the resolution during several public comment periods that sometimes lasted nearly two hours. Pro-Israel speakers decried the proposed resolution.

If passed, the resolution will require the City Clerk to send a copy of the resolution to President Joseph Biden, Senator Charles Schumer, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, U.S. Representative Pat Ryan, Governor Kathy Hochul, Senator D State Michelle Hinchey, to Assembly Member Sarahana Shrestha. , Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger, Ulster County Legislative Chairman Peter Criswell, Ulster County Legislative Majority Leader Abe Uchitelle, Ulster County Legislators Joe Donaldson and Greg McCullough, and Kingston Mayor Steve Noble.