Knoxville City Council did not pass a resolution condemning Israel and calling for a ceasefire between Israeli and Hamas forces during its Tuesday council meeting.
The resolution, according to its broad text, “calls on the U.S. Federal Government to urge an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Israel and occupied Palestine and to express the Council of the City of Knoxville’s support and solidarity with the people of Palestine facing genocidal levels of violence at the hands of the state of Israel.”
The measure was introduced by Knoxville City Council At-Large Seat C Representative Amelia Parker (pictured above).
The three-page failed resolution is full of far-left, pro-Palestine, and anti-Israel talking points, including sections that brand Israel’s actions to defend itself following Hamas’ terrorist attack on the country that left around 1,200 Israelis dead as “collective punishment” against Palestinians:
WHEREAS, the Council stands in solidarity with the Palestinian people of Gaza, the West Bank, and those in the diaspora who are currently facing collective punishment by the state of Israel, resulting in levels of death and violence unseen in the area in the last 75 years; and
WHEREAS, collective punishment is considered a war crime under international law, and refers to a form of sanction imposed on persons or a group of persons in response to a crime committed by one of them or a member of the group; and
WHEREAS, the state of Israel is engaging in collective punishment against the Palestinian people in Gaza in response to Hamas attacks on Israel; and
WHEREAS, this collective punishment of the Palestinian people includes a mass bombing campaign and military operation as well as the shutting off of all access to electricity, drinking water, food, and humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza by the state of Israel; and
WHEREAS, the collective punishment and bombardment of hospitals, schools, and refugee camps of Palestinians by the state of Israel, aided by billions in U.S. taxpayer dollars, is a violation of international law, per Common Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which also bans the severe restriction of aid as a punishment in response to the actions committed by a select member(s) of the group;
The resolution, if passed, would have required the City Council to adopt the following measures:
SECTION 1: The Council of the City of Knoxville takes seriously that the entreaty “Never Again” in memory of the Holocaust means preventing apartheid and ethnic cleansing everywhere, regardless of religion, ethnicity, race, or creed; and
SECTION 2: The Council of the City of Knoxville calls for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and the safe passage of substantial humanitarian aid to Gaza; and
SECTION 3: The Council of the City of Knoxville calls for the immediate release of all Israeli hostages taken by Hamas; and
SECTION 4: The Council of the City of Knoxville calls for an end to Israel’s apartheid, occupation, and military blockade of Palestinian land and peoples; and
SECTION 5: The Council of the City of Knoxville renounces the targeting and surveillance of Arabs, Palestinians, and fellow allies in the city of Knoxville; and
SECTION 6: The Council of the City of Knoxville calls on everyone to respect the rights of freedom of speech and peaceful protest, and to not retaliate against anyone for expressing solidarity with the human rights of Palestinians or Israelis;
SECTION 7: The Council of the City of Knoxville calls upon President Biden to use his extensive political and financial leverage to demand an immediate ceasefire, the immediate deployment of humanitarian aid to Gaza, and the immediate release of all hostages and prisoners of war; and
SECTION 8: The Council of the City of Knoxville endorses the Congressional Resolution submitted by Representatives Cori Bush (MO-01), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), André Carson (IN-07), Summer Lee (PA-12), and Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03), alongside Representatives Jamaal Bowman (NY-16), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), and Nydia Velázquez (NY-07) and urges Knoxville’s U.S. Congressional delegation to vote in support of the resolution.
SECTION 9: Upon adoption, the City Recorder is hereby respectfully requested and directed to forward a true and correct copy of this Resolution to the City’s U.S. Congressional delegation to apprise them of City Council’s respectful request.
Tuesday’s meeting drew both pro-Palestine and pro-Israel protesters who took advantage of the public comment period on the resolution. Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon was forced to call for two separate pauses to cool tensions among vocal advocates who interrupted speakers during the public comment period.
“The City of Knoxville, which has neither the mandate to wade into geopolitics or the experience to opine on foreign affairs, should not waste its citizens time and resources as such,” one man argued during the meeting.
As Mayor Kincannon declared, “The motion fails for lack of a second,” loud cheers and applause came from the audience.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Amelia Parker” by Councilwoman Amelia Parker. Background Photo “Knoxville Skyline” by Will Fisher. CC BY-SA 2.0.
