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Policy Order Resolution

O-15

ORIGINAL ORDER

IN CITY COUNCIL

January 12, 2009

COUNCILLOR DECKER

MAYOR SIMMONS

WHEREAS: The citizens of Cambridge and their representatives on the Cambridge City Council have a strong tradition of upholding principles of democracy and respect for all peoples; and



WHEREAS: The Council has often affirmed its support of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, principles of international law and of peaceful alternatives to war; and



WHEREAS: The current hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Israel as of the morning of January 8th have killed over 700 Palestinians, a third of them children, and injured over 3000 Palestinians and killed eleven Israelis; and



WHEREAS: The UN pulled out their Humanitarian Aid staff citing Israel for its refusal to guarantee the safety of their workers from Israeli fire; and



WHEREAS: The International Red Cross in a rare condemnation criticized Israel from blocking aid workers to reaching Gaza residents who had been bombed; and



WHEREAS: Since 2004, rockets fired from Gaza into Israel have caused the deaths of 20 civilians; and



WHEREAS: Israeli military responses have caused the deaths of thousands of Palestinian civilians; and



WHEREAS: Even more Palestinian loss of life has occurred in the last 20 months due to the severe economic blockade imposed on Gaza by Israel; and



WHEREAS: The Supreme Court of Israel has ruled that Israel must immediately allow foreign journalists access to Gaza, because, in the words of the New York Times, "As in every war zone, reporting by journalists — and human rights monitors as well — can discourage abuse and is essential to full public understanding of the conflict"; and

WHEREAS: The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, has called for an immediate ceasefire; now therefore be it



RESOLVED: That the Cambridge City Council go on record recognizing the grievous impact of the loss of lives in the conflict on families and communities, mourning those lives on both sides of the conflict, condemning the attacks and invasion of Gaza by the Israeli military and the rocket attacks upon the people of Israel, and call for an immediate end to all attacks on civilians on both sides; and



RESOLVED:
That the Cambridge City Council urges the United States government to press for: access for journalists; access to humanitarian aid; a cease-fire on both sides maintained with international monitoring; a long-term truce and an end to the economic blockade of the Gaza Strip and an increased flow of goods and people between Israel and Gaza; and



RESOLVED:
That the City Clerk be and hereby is requested to forward a suitably engrossed copy of this resolution to President Bush, President-elect Obama, the Secretaries of State and Defense, the Secretaries-designate of State and Defense; and be it further



RESOLVED: That the City Clerk be and hereby is requested to forward a suitably engrossed copy of this resolution to the Massachusetts Congressional Delegation, together with a request that the congressional delegation take action on this issue and communicate to the Cambridge City Council what action was taken.