Allegheny County Council resolution calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas voted down

Allegheny County Councilman Nicholas Futules summed up about five hours of public comment Tuesday night about the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

“This world sucks,” he said.

The comment was made shortly before the 14 county council representatives in attendance voted 3-9-2 not to pass a resolution encouraging a ceasefire in the region.

Resolution sponsors Bethany Hallam, Anita Prizio and Dan Grzybek voted in favor of passage.

But dissenting were Futules, council President Patrick Cetena, Vice President John Palmiere, Jack Betkowski, Sam DeMarco, Robert Macey, Paul Klein, Robert Palmosina and Suzanne Filiaggi.

Council members Michelle Naccarati-Chapkis and David Bonaroti abstained. Councilman DeWitt Walton was absent.

The resolution urged the Biden administration to:

• Immediately call for and facilitate de-escalation and a ceasefire to urgently end the current violence.

• Immediately call for and facilitate a release of all hostages held in Palestine and Israel.

• Promptly send and facilitate the entry of humanitarian assistance, at the scale needed, into Gaza.

Several of the council members who voted against the resolution said it would have a marginal impact and only serve to fan the flames of divisiveness in Allegheny County.

“How very sad and very tragic it is that we’ve reached this level of political theater that we have to introduce legislation that demonstrates we collectively value the sanctity of human life,” Bonorati said.

Macey said during one of the breaks in public comment that the vote was a “lose-lose” situation for everyone.

“I think it’s unconscionable for county council to bring up something that is near and dear to many many people in our district that we actually have no control over,” he said. “All it’s doing is creating divisiveness and antisemitism, and I believe there were powers behind this that have a program to create chaos and dividing us as a society and as a community.

”The resolution on our part has no teeth. If I vote, ‘Yes,’ I’m an antisemitic. If I vote ‘No,’ I believe in genocide. That’s the way I’m taking it.”

Macey said a ceasefire would only give time for Hamas to “regroup” and not result in lasting peace.

Hallam said she sponsored the resolution after thorough research about the ongoing conflict — and in response to one council approved in October condemning the attacks by Hamas on Israel on Oct. 7.

“It is not instead of, but especially because of that action that it is incumbent upon us to take a stand today,” she said. “In the time since we passed that resolution, the official death toll of those killed in Gaza has surpassed 30,000 people including 13,000 children.”

In addition, more than 69,000 Palestinians have been wounded, according to the territory’s Health Ministry.

Israel-Hamas war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel from Gaza on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 men, women and children hostage. After a round of exchanges for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel in November, around 130 remain captive, with Israel saying that about a fourth of them are believed to be dead.

Calls for a ceasefire have been growing.

Vice President Kamala Harris called for an immediate and temporary ceasefire on Sunday.

Grzybek addressed concerns about council getting involved in matters it which it does not have direct oversight.

He said the resolution does not preclude council from handling county business, and encouraging the federal government to take action is not new.

Grzybek said council has encouraged federal legislators to take action Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression Act, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act among other matters.

Nearly 280 people signed up to speak at the meeting. Dozens opted not to go to the podium. About 137 residents spoke in support of the resolution and 70 spoke against it.

Filiaggi said council listened to every one thoughtfully.

“We all sleep heavily on subjects like this,” she said. “We’re respectful of your opinions. No one sitting up here is making a light decision today.”

Speakers supporting the resolution likened not approving it to supporting Israel’s attacks.

Those opposed to the resolution said it would make members of the Jewish community feel unsafe and cause antisemitic rhetoric and actions to increase.

Several of those who spoke in favor of the resolution denounced those claims.

Council limited the time to speak to one minute per person as opposed to the regular three minutes.

Two courtrooms were used to house the speakers in addition to council chambers.

One speaker was escorted out by deputies after exceeding his time to speak.

One attendee was forcibly removed by Allegheny County sheriff’s deputies for allegedly cursing at council members during the vote.

It took some time to leave council chambers after the vote as a majority of supporters chanted “Free, Free Palestine” and “Cease-Fire Now!” on the way out. There were no further incidents.