Community responds after Baltimore City Council failed to pass resolution condemning Hamas attacks
BALTIMORE - Fallout continues after Baltimore City Council failed to pass a resolution on Monday condemning the terror attack by Hamas on Israel.
The meeting was interrupted after dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters who chanted with signs in the council chambers.
Moments after the protesters were escorted out by police, a resolution condemning the Hamas terrorists attack was proposed by City Councilman Isaac "Yitzy" Schleifer.
However, the resolution failed when it was brought up for a vote.
In making his appeal, Schleifer noted that in the past city council proved a near similar resolution condemning the 2019 terror attack that happened in New Zealand that killed dozens of Muslims.
"The only line that is different between these two resolutions are the words and demands return of all hostages being held in Gaza," Schleifer said. "With exception to those few words, these two resolutions are completely identical."
The resolution failed when four members of the council abstained.
On Tuesday, those four members released a joint statement, saying they do condemn the October attack, but that the process by which it was brought to the floor was improper.
Their statement reads, in part:
"We want to make it clear that we do not condone the killing of innocent civilians, in any form. We condemn antisemitism, Islamophobia, and all forms of hate. The reason for our abstention from yesterday's vote was because the resolution did not acknowledge the millions of Palestinians and individuals from the Islamic faith who are impacted by indiscriminate violence and oppression."
"You can be supportive of Palestinians and the innocent civilians, and be opposed to Hamas and be opposed to antisemitism," said Howard Libit, Executive Director of the Baltimore Jewish Council. "I don't know why the four members of the city council who abstain from this resolution couldn't see that."
Libit said that with this war in the Middle East, it's important to note that you can condemn the terror of Hamas while also supporting innocent civilians in both Israel and Palestine.
"You can do both," Libit said. "But to not support this resolution is a slap in the face to the Jewish community, and really, the entire community of Baltimore."