UNION CITY, Calif. — The New Haven Unified School District is joining the call for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
On Tuesday, Dec. 19, the district’s Board of Education unanimously passed a resolution that mourns the loss of Israeli and Palestinian lives over the decades and emphasizes that diplomacy is the only way to achieve lasting peace in the region.
“The New Haven Unified School District … calls for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, the release of all hostages, the withdrawal of Israeli troops currently in Gaza, and the safe passage of substantial humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people,” the resolution states.
In the 76 days since Oct. 7, when Palestinian militants from Gaza killed and captured hundreds of Israelis, Israeli forces have launched aerial and ground assaults that have killed at least 20,000 people, half of whom were children, and displaced 1.9 million others, 85% of the population. Israel has also cut off more than 2 million civilians’ access to food, water and electricity, leaving the people of Gaza on the brink of famine, according to a new report from the World Food Programme.
There was a brief ceasefire at the end of November, during which hostages were exchanged, but hostilities resumed before all of the Oct. 7 hostages were released. The Israeli Defense Forces mistakenly killed three of the hostages a week ago.
Thousands of Bay Area residents, including those in southern Alameda County, began pushing for local elected officials to call for a ceasefire shortly after Israel launched its retaliatory campaign, which has included targeting journalists and bombing hospitals.
Recently, dozens of elected officials and community leaders from the region signed onto a letter calling for a ceasefire, and the cities of Oakland and Richmond passed resolutions calling for the same.
New Haven’s board is the first school board in southern Alameda County, and possibly the county, to pass a resolution in support of a ceasefire.
The resolution mourns the lives lost on and since Oct. 7, while acknowledging “the decades of displacement, occupation, oppression, and blockade endured in Gaza and the West Bank.” It recognizes the impact of the crisis on students and urges staff to create an inclusive learning environment that fosters empathy, compassion and constructive dialogue while ensuring no individual is targeted for their identity, ethnicity or religious beliefs.
“The New Haven Unified School District recognizes that many groups within our community have had long and complex histories of trauma, displacement, and oppression,” the resolution stated, “and we are committed to creating safe learning spaces for every student by committing to combat anti-semitism, islamophobia, and ethnonationalism in all its forms.”
The passage of the resolution came days before the United Nations Security Council passed its own resolution calling for the immediate, unimpeded and safe delivery of humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians throughout Gaza. The U.S. abstained from the vote.
