Meeting for the first time since three young Palestinian American men were injured in a shooting in Burlington, members of the city council on Monday night split over whether to weigh in on the conflict raging in the Middle East.
In a 6-6 vote, the council rejected a resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas War and expressing support for victims of the Nov. 25 shooting in Burlington. The council later considered a revised version of the resolution that removed the ceasefire language and focused primarily on condemning the shooting. That measure also failed by a vote of 6-6.
“We have the fundamental right to join our congressional delegation (in calling for) for a ceasefire because Muslims and Jews in this community are living in fear,” Councilor Ali Dieng, I-Ward 7, said after introducing the first resolution. (Two of the state’s three members of Congress — U.S. Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt., and U.S. Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt. — have called for a ceasefire, though U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has not.)
The resolution was sponsored by Dieng, Councilor Gene Bergman, P-Ward 2, and Councilor Joe Magee, P-Ward 3.
Immediately after the first version of the resolution failed, demonstrators in the room erupted, leading to a 10-minute pause in the meeting as many in the crowd shouted “Free Palestine” and “we’ll be back” until most left the room.
Joan Shannon, D-South District, who won the Democratic nomination for mayor a day earlier, was among those who opposed the ceasefire resolution. She supported the revised version condemning the shooting.
On the evening of Nov. 25, Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid and Tahseen Aliahmad were shot and injured while walking along North Prospect Street. The three men — students at American universities who had gone to school together in the West Bank — had been visiting family nearby. According to police, Jason Eaton allegedly shot the men in front of his apartment. Eaton pleaded not guilty in court two days later. He is facing three counts of attempted murder.
The councilors who opposed the proposal said the subject of the ceasefire was not in the council’s purview.
“Many of my constituents that I represent feel that an international issue like the conflict of Gaza is not something the Burlington City Council should be weighing in on,” said Councilor Ben Traverse, D-Ward 5.
Traverse said he personally agreed with many of the points outlined in the resolution. “Words matter, though, and as well-intentioned as this resolution may be for many in our community, its words and the rhetoric surrounding it remains hurtful.”
Following the defeat of the resolution that included the call for a ceasefire, Traverse introduced the second version, which condemned the Burlington shooting and voiced support for its victims.
“I understand that the terms used in this resolution are obviously not as strong as many on this council and many in our community would like to see, but I do believe that the terms and this resolution are put forward in a way that can have broader community support,” Traverse said.
Progressive councilors, however, objected to Traverse’s proposal. Bergman called it “far too tepid” and said he didn’t think it would unify the community. Bergman voted against it, along with Magee; Melo Grant, P-Central District, and Zoraya Hightower, P-Ward 1. Dieng and Hannah King, D-Ward 8, also voted against Traverse’s resolution, while supporting the version with the call for a ceasefire.
Before the final vote on Traverse’s resolution, Magee said that during the pause in the meeting after the demonstrators’ outburst, he had spoken to many people “in tears” who said they were “horrified” by the inaction. Magee raised the possibility of resigning as a result.
“In the last year, I have contemplated resigning over any number of issues where we failed to act in a meaningful way, and I’m finding myself in that position again this evening,” he said, adding that he was not prepared to say whether he would do so. Magee announced last month that he would not seek reelection next year.
During a public comment period that featured over 75 speakers and lasted about three hours, dozens of Burlington residents spoke, most of them in favor of the ceasefire resolution. While many mentioned the shooting victims, most of the comments focused on the war, urging the council to call for a ceasefire.
“Israel is committing genocide,” said Ashley Smith, an activist with the Vermont Coalition for Palestinian Liberation and the Tempest Collective. “Its war is spawning anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab racism, islamophobia and hate crimes. Right here in Burlington, a racist shot three Palestinian students. Faced with such bigotry and hate crimes, you must pass the ceasefire resolution.”
Smith said in a press release following the vote that some supporters of the ceasefire resolution were gathering signatures to try to put a measure on the Town Meeting Day ballot in March that would declare Burlington an “apartheid-free city.”
Rabbi Aaron Philmus of Ohavi Zedek Synagogue in Burlington called the shooting a “horrific act” and said he supported the victims, but he also argued that the proposed ceasefire resolution was “fracturing” the city.
Philmus said that though the synagogue had security, “many parents are now afraid to drop their children off at our preschool and Hebrew school or attend Shabbat services.” He also said that focusing on a “very complicated conflict that is over 5,000 miles away” is a distraction from other issues in the city, such as homelessness and substance use disorder.
