As proponents of a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war came to their fifth consecutive Waukegan City Council meeting asking for a resolution that calls for an end to the hostilities, Ald. Victor Felix, 4th Ward, and some of his colleagues say they are collaborating to write one.
A resolution written by Felix, and a second one submitted to council members by Mayor Ann Taylor, are being studied with the goal of putting forward a document in final form for the next meeting at 7 p.m. on July 15 at City Hall.
Taylor said she remains opposed to any cease-fire resolution related to the war because it is not within the purview of city government, where the focus should be on the welfare of Waukegan’s residents.
With people in the community and beyond divided on their views of the conflict, she said a cease-fire resolution does not meet her requirement for taking a position on a national or global issue.
“If the (resolution) does things which unify the city, but this only divides the city,” Taylor said after the meeting. “I’m not sure this brings us together. This isn’t the role of the city. This isn’t something that will be resolved by the city no matter what we do.”
More than a dozen people voiced their support for a cease-fire resolution calling for an end to the Israel-Hamas war and letting humanitarian aid flow into Gaza during the City Council meeting Monday at City Hall, letting members know what they want to see in the final document.
Initially, Felix said at the June 17 meeting he was going to write a resolution, collaborate with his colleagues and have it ready for Monday. During a break in the meeting, he said the work was continuing.
“I’m working on the details with three other aldermen,” he said. “We’re working together, and we’ll see what it is.”
Of the 27 people who spoke for more than an hour during the public comment portion of the meeting, 17 spoke of the plight of the Palestinian people in Gaza and their wish for action by the council. Aurora Flores gave her ideas on what the resolution should contain.
“It calls for an immediate cease-fire, humanitarian aid allowed entry into Gaza, an immediate end to all U.S military campaigns in the Middle East and an immediate end to all U.S aid to Israel,” Flores said. “Our tax dollars support genocide overseas, while we’re deprived of life and resources over here.”
Of those who spoke from the public, no one mentioned Hamas’ attack against Israel on Sept. 7 in which approximately 1,200 Israelis were killed and 240 taken hostage by Hamas. Approximately half the hostages were released or freed, and the rest remain in captivity.
Though both the draft resolution crafted by Felix and the one suggested by Taylor propose a cease-fire and humanitarian aid for Gaza, they are silent on American foreign policy, including aid to Israel.
Felix included a wish for “substantial peace” between Israel and the Palestinians, while Taylor’s suggestion goes deeper following the proposal of President Joe Biden and adopted by the United Nations Security Council, with “two democratic states living side by side in peace with secure and recognized borders.”
While Felix’s suggestion does not mention a future Palestinian state, Taylor’s plan proposes Gaza and the West Bank be unified under the existing Palestinian Authority which ministers much of the West Bank occupied by Israel. Hamas would have no role.
Just as none of the public speakers supporting a cease-fire resolution said the hostages should be released, Felix’s proposal was silent on the issue. Taylor’s suggestion included freeing the hostages.
Toward the end of the meeting, Ald. Jose A. Guzman, 2nd Ward, said he received approximately 400 emails from people about the cease-fire resolution. Some wanted him to support it, and others suggested he oppose it. He said it will not be one-sided.
“I’m looking for a neutral resolution,” Guzman said. “If you think it’s going to favor one side or another — wrong. It’s going to favor both sides. We are human beings. We are here protected by God or whoever you believe in, and we will support everybody, not just one.”