A resolution calling on the White House and Congress to push for a cease-fire in Gaza will head to the full City Council for a vote.
The Committee on Health and Human Relations, chaired by 33rd Ward Ald. Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez, voted Monday to recommend the resolution to the full Council in January — drawing a roar of applause.
About a dozen people spoke before the committee — representing both Palestinian and Jewish-based organizations — all expressing support for a cease-fire.
The meeting continued with few disruptions, unlike a special meeting held in October that called for a resolution expressing support of Israel. At that meeting, outbursts from people attending the session prompted Mayor Brandon Johnson to clear the chambers.
Thaer Ahmad, a South Side-based doctor who serves on the board of MedGlobal, testified before the committee Monday, calling what continues to happen in Gaza “the worst humanitarian crisis we have ever seen.”
“There is international humanitarian consensus — there needs to be a cease-fire,” Ahmad said. “But the work and recovery is going to take decades, and every single day that we delay a cease-fire, more and more Palestinians will be killed, and more and more Palestinians will suffer. There are no sides to this. There are humans, and right now there are humans that are suffering.”
Rabbi Brant Rosen testified before the committee as a “leader in the Jewish community,” who has fought against the Zionist movement.
“Since Hamas attacked in Israel on Oct. 7, many Israelis have been deeply traumatized, and many Jews across the world as well,” Rosen said, adding that he and many Jews deeply oppose the “vengeful violence that Israel has been waging against the people of Gaza and the Palestinian people in general.”
The Chicago Jewish Community Relations Council and the Anti-Defamation League Midwest released a joint statement calling on Johnson and City Council to “soundly” reject the resolution, labeling it as “reckless, irresponsible and dangerous.”
Other city governments have voted on similar resolutions, but members of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network said Chicago would become the largest U.S. city to call for a cease-fire if the resolution heading to the City Council were approved.
The resolution, sponsored by 1st Ward Ald. Daniel La Spata, calls on President Joe Biden and Congress to “facilitate lasting peace in Gaza starting with a permanent cease-fire” and “promptly send and facilitate the entry of humanitarian assistance.” The resolution also calls on the City Council to support the United Nations vote for an immediate cease-fire.
Last week, the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly passed a resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. The United States and Israel were among just 10 members of the 193-member body who voted against the measure.
The UN General Assembly called the emergency meeting after the U.S. vetoed a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.
While the General Assembly resolution was politically significant in its overwhelming support, it is — unlike a Security Council resolution — nonbinding.
Initial versions of the City Council resolution focused more narrowly on support of the UN’s action but were edited “to get to a resolution that reflects our values,” Rodriguez Sanchez said.
During Monday’s meeting, Rodriguez Sanchez called the need for a resolution an issue of “understanding, and respecting and uplifting the humanity of Palestinians.”
Rodriguez Sanchez previously fought efforts by 50th Ward Ald. Debra Silverstein to introduce a resolution in solidarity with Israel in response to the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas that killed roughly 1,200 people in Israel, saying she wanted that measure to also address the violence against Palestinians. Since that attack, more than 19,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza.
