CITY OF SONOMA CEASEFIRE RESOLUTION

The City of Sonoma Calls for a Permanent Ceasefire in Israel-Palestine

WHEREAS, all life is precious, and all suffering and loss of life through armed conflict and war is tragic; and

WHEREAS, the City of Sonoma opposes all forms of hatred and violence including antisemitic/anti-Jewish, anti-Arab racism, Islamophobia, bigotry, xenophobia, apartheid, and genocide, and advocates for the equity, rights, dignity and safety of residents and workers in every community; and

WHEREAS, residents of the City of Sonoma pay federal taxes each year, a percentage of which is allocated to directly fund weapons sales and other dollars to the government of Israel, which have historically and are currently being used to kill and maim Palestinian civilians, men, women, and children, and

WHEREAS, the current violence deprives the population of Gaza of basic human needs, such as clean drinking water, food, electricity, fuel, medical supplies and adequate shelter; and

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City of Sonoma joins the Sonoma Human Rights Commission, Cities of Cotati, Richmond, Albany, Oakland, San Francisco, and others, as well as the Santa Rosa School Board, United Nations, Amnesty International, World Health Organization, world leaders, religious leaders, the majority of the citizens of the United States, and citizens of the world everywhere in calling for:

• An immediate and permanent CEASEFIRE in Gaza
• An end of all offensive military assistance and weapons sales to the government of Israel
• The prompt release of all hostages
• The unrestricted entry of humanitarian assistance into Gaza, the restoration of food, water, electricity, and medical supplies to Gaza;
• And full respect for international law by all involved parties, including an end to illegal occupation.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City of Sonoma advocates for the equity, rights, dignity and safety of residents in every community and vows to combat Anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, xenophobia, bigotry, misogyny and all forms of racism in our community; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT a permanent, fair solution to this crisis must be one of the top foreign policy priorities of the United States to prevent further human suffering and promote peace and justice in the region; and

FINALLY, BE IT RESOLVED that this resolution be posted publicly and that a copy of it is sent to the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, the offices of Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, State Senator Mike McGuire, Representative Mike Thompson, Representative Jarod Huffman, Senator Laphonza Butler, Senator Alex Padilla, Governor Gavin Newsom, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, Vice President Kamala Harris, and President Joe Biden, urging them to take immediate action to use their position and influence to end this conflict and work towards a permanent peace between Israelis and Palestinians.