Democratic rift over Gaza war moves to California cities

The biggest fight dividing Democrats across the country is the Israel-Hamas war.

The conflict is also dividing liberal cities in California, where bitter debates over symbolic resolutions have transformed local politics into heated fights over international affairs, human rights and antisemitism.

Local governments in cities, including San Francisco and Santa Ana, are debating whether to call for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza. Thousands of civilians have died there since Israel launched its response to the deadly attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.

Debate over the local resolutions reflect an intraparty split between progressive activists, who largely blame Israel for the violence, and a mainstream Democratic establishment that is concerned about civilian deaths but broadly supportive of the Jewish state.

It’s a fissure that reflects ideological and generational divides, with many younger activists leading raucous pro-Palestinian demonstrations, including a takeover of the Democratic Party Convention in Sacramento last month.

San Francisco Supervisor Dean Preston, a staunch progressive, unveiled the latest resolution at Tuesday’s board meeting, where hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators lined up for hours to speak. Before the meeting, Jewish groups and elected leaders, including state Sen. Scott Wiener, held a vigil outside City Hall. Supervisors could vote on the measure as early as next week.

Preston said his resolution condemns both “rising antisemitism and Islamophobia” in the wake of the conflict. A draft of the text includes a paragraph condemning Hamas’ brutal attack on Israel in October. It also includes a section condemning Israel for its “sustained and devastating” military assault on Gaza in response.

But resolutions in San Francisco and elsewhere have stoked fear and anger among Jewish groups. They’ve pointed to the Oakland City Council’s vote last week to adopt a cease-fire resolution in which several speakers spouted antisemitic conspiracy theories and voiced support for Hamas’ attacks on civilians.

Local officials in Berkeley, Richmond and the Orange County cities of Santa Ana and Stanton have debated whether to adopt a similar stance. City Council members in Santa Ana were also weighing Tuesday night whether to draft their own cease-fire resolution. A motion to add an item to the agenda directing city staff to draft a resolution in support of a cease-fire failed after two hours of testimony. But the issue could return to the council later this month.

Erik Ludwig, president of the Jewish Federation of Orange County, noted that city councils largely haven’t taken up measures over other violent global conflicts. He said the aim seems to be to propel a false narrative that Jews are colonists with no indigenous roots in Israel.

“It is disingenuous to couch that conversation as one of cease-fire,” Ludwig said. “Behind the intentions of these resolutions, there is a purposeful divisiveness.”

The local resolutions are the latest avenue for the debate after pro-Palestinian advocates failed to convince the Democratic Party to adopt a cease-fire platform at its statewide convention. Tensions over the issue were inflamed after about 1,000 demonstrators overwhelmed security guards and stormed the convention.

Fatima Iqbal-Zubair, chair of the state party’s Progressive Caucus, said activists have taken the fight to city councils because it's a way for them to harness support for the cause. She characterized the demonstrators who’ve made antisemitic comments as outliers.

“I know that there’s trauma on both sides,” Iqbal-Zubair said. “For the most part, what I’ve seen has been positive, in support of human rights.”

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