RESOLUTION

A RESOLUTION TO SUPPORT AN IMMEDIATE AND PERMANENT CEASEFIRE IN PALESTINE.

WHEREAS, Palestine has been occupied by Israel since 1948, and, as of 16 January 2024, Israel has been bombing Gaza for 102 days; and

WHEREAS, the Gaza Strip is home to more than two million people who have endured decades of militarized violence and extreme resource scarcity; and

WHEREAS, since October 7th, 2023, this violence has intensified, leading to more than twenty thousand additional deaths with thousands more deaths to come due to the lack of medical treatments, food, and water; and

WHEREAS, the Israeli military has prevented humanitarian aid from reaching civilians in Gaza despite catastrophic humanitarian conditions; and

WHEREAS, the United States has provided almost $4 billion in military aid to the state of Israel over the past year; and

WHEREAS, Athenians contribute approximately $1.8 million in federal taxes to Israel without stipulation in the midst of a local homelessness crisis; and

WHEREAS, millions of people around the world, thousands in the state of Georgia, and hundreds of individuals in Athens have participated in rallies and actions calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza; and

WHEREAS, Palestinians in Athens have expressed fear for their safety after recent hate crimes against Palestinians in the U.S. and incidents at local Athens gatherings, including a heckler calling mourners at a vigil “terrorists” and being arrested for harassing attendees; and

WHEREAS, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution calling for an immediate and sustained ceasefire on December 13th, 2023; and

WHEREAS, the United States has rejected all U.N. ceasefire agreements to date.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Mayor and Commission of the Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County, Georgia:

Section 1: That the Unified Government stands in solidarity with civilians suffering from war violence around the world and particularly in the occupied territories of Palestine; and

Section 2: That the city of Athens proclaims a conscientious objection to the use of Athens federal taxpayer funds in aiding Israel’s genocidal military operations; and

Section 3: That the Unified Government supports an immediate ceasefire in the occupied territories of Palestine, in which civilians are being disproportionately and unnecessarily harmed; and

Section 4: That the Unified Government condemns all forms of racism, xenophobia, profiling, anti-Arab sentiment, anti-Jewish sentiment, Islamophobia, and antisemitism that arise in response to the conflict in Palestine; and

Section 5: That the Unified Government intends to protect and advocate for Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, Jewish, and Christian members of our community; and

Section 6: That the city of Athens calls upon the Biden Administration, Senator Jon Ossoff, and Senator Raphael Warnock to support a ceasefire resolution, and we call upon Representative Mike Collins to vote in support H. Res 786 to demand an immediate ceasefire; and

Section 7: That the Mayor and Commission hereby direct the Manager to support this resolution.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Mayor and Commission that a copy of this resolution be sent to President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Senator Jon Ossoff, Senator Raphael Warnock, and Representative Mike Collins.

                SO RESOLVED, this day the _______ of _______, 2024.

APPROVED: __________________________

Kelly Girtz, Mayor

ATTEST:       ___________________________

           Jean Spratlin, Clerk of Commission