A coalition of elected officials from across the country, including 2nd District County Supervisor Elisa Márquez and Hayward City Councilmember George Syrop, is urging the Biden administration to pursue a lasting ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
In an open letter, penned by civic nonprofit Local Progress and dated Jan. 9, Márquez, Syrop and other elected officials from across Alameda County and the U.S. condemn the targeting of civilians, both Israeli and Palestinian, and call on their colleagues at every level of government to help de-escalate the violence that has been unfolding in Israel and occupied Palestine since Oct. 7.
“Localities across the country have passed resolutions, more than 60 members of Congress have now called for a ceasefire, and we urge the Biden Administration and all our representatives in Congress to join them in taking immediate action to pursue a durable ceasefire, to secure the release of all hostages, to deliver humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people, and to begin to create the conditions for a political agreement that can end this conflict,” the letter states.
On the domestic front, the letter expresses dismay at and denounces the “rise in antisemitic, Islamophobic, anti-Palestinian, and anti-Arab rhetoric and attacks, as well as the exploitation of pain and anger to spread hate for political gain,” while dismissing accusations of antisemitism lodged against those advocating for Palestinian rights.
“As local leaders, we remain steadfast in our defense of the right to free speech and non-violent protest, and we reject attempts to erode these rights,” the letter states. “That includes the doxxing and weaponized charges of antisemitism directed at local elected officials who speak out or take nonviolent action on behalf of Palestinians.”
The letter concludes by stating that the officials represent a diverse array of communities with varying “points of view of the conflict,” but they “stand with everyone who is working for a more humane future, one in which we spend our resources on what our communities need to thrive — not on military escalation.”
In addition to Márquez and Syrop, Sara Lamnin, who serves on the Hayward Area Recreation and Parks District Board of Directors, and Ed Hernandez, who serves on the Eden Township Healthcare District Board of Directors and previously served on the San Leandro City Council, were among the more than 300 hundred officials who signed onto the letter from Local Progress, which describes itself as “a movement of local elected officials advancing a racial and economic justice agenda.”
Since Oct. 7, more than 1,200 Israelis and at least 23,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed.
