From:
To: City Council;
Subject: Letter for Meeting on Tuesday 2/20/24
Date: Monday, February 19, 2024 1:09:59 PM
Dear Honorable Members of Sebastopol City Council,
I commend the Council for bringing to light that loss of life, any life, is fundamentally wrong and should be avoided at all costs. Since October 7, 2023, I have led a weekly prayer group for peace, where we pray for the safety and lives of everyone in the Middle East who is suffering and at risk of death. I mourn the loss of ALL civilian lives lost in the war at hand.
However, I write in Opposition to the Resolution on the Israel-Hamas War. I believe local governments should focus on local issues.
Recent events in Northern California and worldwide have proven that Non-Binding Resolutions inflame hate, targeting the Jewish Community. It is reported that 55% of all religious hate crimes are against Jews, who represent 2.4% of the American population.
According to studies, there has been a 360% increase in hate crimes against Jews in the United States since October 7, 2023.
In short, the history in the Middle East is very complex https://twitter.com/Israellycool/status/1755614311190601850 (a few of MANY bullets points worthy of mention not seen in the Sebastopol City Councils Executive Summary and proposed Resolution):
** Non-Binding Resolutions have little effect Internationally ** Thousands of rockets fly into Israel annually during times of 'peace and ceasefire' ** HR Bill 786, written in October 2023, (the one Sebastopol City Council is now supporting) is outdated and out of touch with the reality of today- essential services are being delivered etc.
**Hamas was elected by Palestinians in January 2006, and have remained the chosen Gaza leadership since then. **Hamas is a recognized terrorist organization by the United States, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, European Union... **Hamas considers Hezbollah and Houthis, among many other terror groups, to be allies. **The United States has recently been attacked by Houthis ** In January, Israel offered a ceasefire and Hamas rejected it. ** In February, Despite efforts involving Qatar, Egypt, Israel, and the United States, talks have not yielded a breakthrough agreement for a ceasefire".
**Hamas currently does not want a ceasefire and has only broken the last 2 ceasefires **The United States is already doing everything they can to assist in working with our ally, Israel, to free all the Hamas held hostages of October 7, 2023
**Hamas would gain militarily from ceasefire. Just like the cease fire they broke during the previous hostage release, they armed themselves and started killing again.
**Hamas has never wavered from its goal to eliminate all Jews and Israel **United Nations- 30 UNRWA workers directly involved in the October 7, 2023 attack, 6 drones found this last week on an UN sponsored vehicle and direct infrastructure connections have been unearthed from UN headquarters to Hamas tunnels.
I respectfully request that this Council completely reject the current resolution and instead make a Resolution about supporting an immediate release of our 7 American citizens who remain hostage as well as all of the other hostages. I also request that the Council make a resolution condemning Hamas for the rape and sexual violence against the women and girls that occurred on October 7, 2023. As Americans, unlike the Resolution at hand, I do not believe there is anything polarizing about either of the issue of hostage release or sexual violence condemnation.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Robert Gitlin
Sebastopol, CA 95472