“Yesterday, many residents came forward at the City Council meeting to discuss the harrowing impact the Israeli-Palestinian war has had on their lives, loved ones and community,” Bazaldua said in a statement Thursday.
The current conflict has been ongoing since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Israeli officials say around 1,200 people were killed during the attack and around 240 people were taken hostage, according to NPR. The attack led Israel to launch ground and airstrikes on Gaza, killing more than 11,000 people, Palestinian health officials say, according to NPR.
“Most importantly, residents highlighted how our city’s silence in acknowledging the lack of humanitarian aid and Palestinian lives lost is counteractive to our commitment of equity and inclusion,” Bazaldua said. “Our community has made it clear that silence is complicit.”
That’s why he’s urging the City Council to take a clear stance and vote to pass a resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian aid effort and exit strategy for all innocent civilians in Gaza and the West Bank.
He’s also calling for peaceful negotiations toward a just and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He has already drafted the resolution.
“If there is any message that is taken from the office of District 7, let it be that we stand with our Palestinian community, just as we have declared solidarity for our Jewish community,” Bazaldua said.“Our community has made it clear that silence is complicit.” – Adam Bazaldua, Dallas City Council
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In the process of advocating for a resolution, a social media scuffle involving Bazaldua and fellow council member Cara Mendelsohn developed on X on Friday.
That afternoon, Mendelsohn, who is Jewish, and has used her X account to speak out in favor of Israel and against Hamas, posted a link to a KERA article regarding Bazaldua's proposed resolution. A quote of hers from the article, used as the X post's caption, said "If one thought it was necessary for a city council to advocate for specific action related to Gaza, it should be a call for an immediate return of all hostages and total surrender of the terrorist organization Hamas."
In a rather surprising turn, Bazaldua reposted the X entry that quoted Medneslohn's post with an aggressive caption reading, "This is ridiculous, Councilwoman. The 10,000 children killed by Israel in Gaza were not holding hostages, but you already know that. If you think it okay to kill TEN THOUSAND CHILDREN, you are not fit the serve on the council of the 4th most diverse city in the country."
It's not every day that you see one council member taking to social media to amplify the opinion that another council member is "not fit" to serve.
Bazaldua also posted his own response to Mendesohn's X post, writing "We have already condemned Hamas and taken a stance for the Jewish community, we should be doing the same for our Palestinian residents as well. Conflating Hamas with Innocent Palestinian civilians is dangerous rhetoric and promotes Islamophobia. We must do better as a council."
As for the disruption that began this series of events, police had to escort the audience out of Wednesday’s City Council meeting after several outbursts. After nearly every public speaker calling for a ceasefire was done, the crowd broke out in applause. This prompted Mayor Eric Johnson to warn the audience several times to keep things calm and civil, saying he hoped to hear from every speaker.
“Over the past 67 days, the world has been rattled by reports from Gaza,” one speaker named Anthony Lazon Conde told the City Council on Wednesday. “Footage of mutilated children, the gut-wrenching cries of mothers and fathers, cries of elders digging through rubble with their bare hands while holding on to a glimpse of hope at finding their loved ones. … I cannot begin to imagine what it’s like to be a child living under these conditions of displacement, famine and disease.”
Conde pointed out that the City Council passed a resolution in October condemning Hamas and its attack on Israel. He went over his allotted public speaker time telling the council it should support a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. When he was done, a couple of people in the crowd shouted “Free Palestine!”This is ridiculous, Councilwoman. The 10,000 children killed by Israel in Gaza were not holding hostages, but you already know that. If you think it okay to kill TEN THOUSAND CHILDREN, you are not fit the serve on the council of the 4th most diverse city in the country. https://t.co/VFBiIRc61q
— I know how it be (@JerryLEADS) December 15, 2023
Johnson also stopped the meeting several times to remind speakers not to speak over their allotted time. “I’m being as sincere as I possibly can about this,” Johnson said. “We have the ability to have anyone removed from this meeting that we’d like for disrupting, but I don’t want to. I don’t want to remove anyone from this meeting today.”
They didn't listen.
“Tell your council members to get off their phones and listen,” one person shouted. The crowd cheered.
“That’s the kind of outburst that’s going to get someone thrown out of the meeting,” Johnson replied. He directed police to start removing people who were being disruptive.
They were able to get through all of the speakers, but soon thereafter the meeting was shut down as many in the crowd broke out into chants of “Free Palestine!” and “Ceasefire!” The meeting resumed after disruptive speakers could be cleared from the council chambers. While the advocates likely agree with Bazaldua’s proposed resolution, not everyone does.
Dallas City Council members Jaynie Schultz, who is Jewish, told The Dallas Morning News that the situation in Gaza is too fluid to support such a resolution.
When reached for comment, Mendelsohn, the City Council member for Dallas’ District 12, gave the Observer the same statement she provided in the KERA article, saying: “If one thought it was necessary for a city council to advocate for specific action related to Gaza, it should be a call for an immediate return of all hostages and total surrender of the terrorist organization Hamas."
In his statement, Bazaldua said he understands from the vulnerability of the public speakers at the City Council meeting that the war is not just beyond the U.S. borders. “As some of you shared, you have family members in Gaza and the West Bank who fear for what will become of them and their home,” Bazaldua said. “We understand that it is imperative we take a stand and affirm to you that your experiences and pain are profoundly seen and heard.”
