Mayor Bibb refuses to sign Gaza cease-fire resolution
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[In the player above, watch previous FOX 8 News coverage of pro-Palestine demonstrators marching near Cleveland’s Playhouse Square.]
CLEVELAND (WJW) — Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb’s signature is missing from a recent city council resolution in support of a cease-fire in Gaza, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
Council members on March 25 approved a resolution in support of a United Nations Security Council resolution earlier that day demanding a cease-fire. Both measures received unanimous approval from their respective bodies.
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Read Cleveland City Council’s resolution here:
Though Bibb in a Thursday statement called for the unconditional release of Israeli hostages, as well as a “break in the hostilities” to allow food and supplies into Gaza, he said neither the council’s ceasefire resolution nor the U.N.’s resolution “adequately reflect” his views.
Read Bibb’s statement below:
Our city was united in horror at Hamas’s October 7 terrorist attack on Israel, and Israel has a right to defend itself. But at the six-month anniversary of those attacks, there is no question that civilians have borne tremendous suffering and loss as a result.
Cleveland is a diverse community with loved ones in Gaza and Israel both. As the tragedy there has grown, so has Clevelanders’ grief. This is a grief I share, and the need for humanitarian assistance in Gaza is dire. I join the calls for a break in hostilities, for Hamas to unconditionally release the hostages, and for Gazans to receive vital food and supplies.
I chose not to sign Cleveland City Council’s resolution in support of the recent United Nations Security Council resolution. While there is much to commend about the push for peace, neither the UN nor the City Council resolutions adequately reflect my own views.
I fully support the Biden-Harris Administration’s diplomatic efforts to secure an end to the conflict. These are rooted not only in peace but in clarity. No durable peace is possible until Hamas releases the hostages. And Hamas has had multiple opportunities to secure a ceasefire under this framework—which Israel has accepted, and which Hamas has rejected. Any discussion of the current conflict must be centered in the condemnation of Hamas and a plain understanding that it is the fundamental obstacle to peace today.
Let me underscore that my priority as Mayor is to safeguard our residents against bigotry and hate. We must oppose anti-Semitism and Islamophobia at every turn. Cleveland will always be a city for all peoples, and as a Clevelander, I pray for peace here and abroad.
Statement from Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb
As of late February, more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 70,000 have been wounded in the Gaza Strip since the conflict began in October, AP reported.
Pro-Palestine protesters have for weeks spoken out against Bibb’s public support for Israel at city council meetings, and coordinated demonstrations in the city and on highway ramps near Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.
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The U.S. abstained from the security council’s March 25 vote, The Associated Press reported. White House spokesperson John Kirby said the U.S. chose not to cast a vote because the council’s resolution did not condemn Hamas. Kirby noted the resolution did, however “fairly reflect our view that a cease-fire and the release of hostages come together.”
Israeli airstrikes in Gaza killed seven aid workers with the World Central Kitchen charity who were part of a convoy delivering food to Palestinians now facing starvation amid the ongoing siege. One of those killed was a dual U.S.-Canadian citizen, the charity confirmed.
Local chef Brandon Chrostowski reacted to the news on FOX 8 on Thursday.
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