San Francisco on Tuesday joined a growing list of U.S. cities that have approved resolutions urging President Joe Biden's administration to call for a lasting ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.
More than 23,000 Palestinians have been killed in the besieged Gaza Strip in the three months since Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, The Associated Press reported, citing the Gaza Health Ministry. Hamas' attacks on October 7 killed 1,200 people.
As the death toll in Gaza continues to climb, city councils are just one of the places where debates over the U.S.'s support for Israel and its war are playing out.
Richmond, California, became the first U.S. city to pass a resolution calling for a ceasefire in late October, and others—including Detroit and Atlanta—have followed suit, despite having no legal role in the process.
Similar resolutions are moving forward in a number of cities, including Chicago, Denver and Minneapolis.
But leaders in some cities have declined to pass resolutions calling for a ceasefire. East Lansing City Council in Michigan rejected a ceasefire resolution on Tuesday, while the Burlington City Council in Vermont in December rejected a resolution that would have called for a ceasefire at its first meeting after three Palestinian-American students were shot in the city.
It comes as Biden's ongoing support for Israel is causing a divide within the Democratic Party, with many progressives joining calls for a ceasefire in Gaza. Polling indicates the president's stance could alienate key voters during an election year, especially young voters.
Biden's handling of the war has also led to officials in his administration quitting in protest. Tariq Habash, who is Palestinian-American, resigned from his role at the Department of Education last week, writing in his resignation letter that the Biden administration's actions "have put millions of innocent lives in danger, most immediately the 2.3 million Palestinian civilians living in Gaza who remain under continuous assault and ethnic cleansing by the Israeli government."
In response to protesters who interrupted Biden's remarks at a campaign event on Monday, he said he has been "quietly working" with Israel to "get them to reduce and significantly get out of Gaza."
The White House has been contacted for comment via email.
Here, Newsweek rounds up the U.S. cities that have approved resolutions calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
San Francisco, California
Oakland, California
Richmond, California
Cudahy, California
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Wilmington, Delaware
Atlanta, Georgia
Detroit, Michigan
Dearborn, Michigan
Dearborn Heights, Michigan
Hamtramck, Michigan
Ypsilanti, Michigan
Albany, New York
Akron, Ohio
Providence, Rhode Island
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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