BURLINGTON — After almost four hours of public testimony Monday night, the City Council voted 7-5 to nix a citizen-driven initiative to put Middle Eastern politics on Burlington’s Town Meeting Day ballot on March 5.
The effort to adopt a resolution supporting the Palestinian people, opposing Israeli policy and declaring Burlington “an apartheid-free community” faltered after councilors chose not to include the measure on the ballot. More than 1,600 residents — beyond the required 5% of city residents — had signed a petition seeking such a vote.
Sponsored by councilors Gene Bergman, P-Ward 2, Ali Dieng, I-Ward 7, and Joe Magee, P-Ward 3, the proposed resolution would have affirmed Burlington’s “commitment to freedom, justice, and equality for the Palestinian people and all people” and its opposition to “Israel’s apartheid regime, settler colonialism, and military occupation.”
The vote came more than three months after a Hamas attack on Israel reignited the long-running conflict, which has since killed more than 25,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
During a special meeting of the council Monday to consider the measure, Bergman said he was struck by what he characterized as widespread support of the petition throughout the city. Denying residents the right to vote on it would “weaken democracy,” he said, adding, “I cannot do that in good (conscience).”
Bergman, who described himself as a “non-Zionist Jew,” said that, though Islamophobia and antisemitism are rampant, criticism of Israel is not antisemitic in and of itself.
“Our rejection of violence cannot be a negative or passive submission to the forces of oppression and evil,” he said.
Council President Karen Paul, D-Ward 6, and councilors Mark Barlow, I-North District, Joan Shannon, D-South District, Sarah Carpenter, D-Ward 4, Hannah King, D-Ward 8, Ben Traverse, D-Ward 5, and Timothy Doherty, D-East District, voted against the motion. Along with the three sponsors, councilors Zoraya Hightower, P-Ward 1, and Melo Grant, P-Central District, voted for it.
Citing personal accounts from speakers who said they were unsettled, hurt and afraid, Traverse said his biggest concern about the resolution was the prospect of further escalating rifts and causing violence.
Though the discourse Monday night was largely civil, he said, “the differences of opinion on this issue are often charged.” He added, “I am deeply concerned that placing this question on our ballot is more likely to cause further division and harm in our community.”
King, who previously voted in favor of a failed resolution calling for an Israel-Hamas War cease-fire, echoed Traverse’s sentiment. “I would much prefer that members from groups with differing viewpoints in our community find ways to dialogue with each other in an effort to promote peace,” she said.
Magee said the city had a long history of standing against oppression and apartheid. “Having this debate during an election is exactly what democracy is about,” he said. “This council should not stand in the way of the people’s right in a democracy to make their voice heard at the ballot box.”
Palestinian scarves and Jewish kippahs dotted the packed Contois Auditorium in City Hall, where more than 100 Burlington residents weighed in at a public hearing that started just before 7 p.m. Religious leaders, students and residents spoke passionately in favor of or in opposition to the ballot initiative.
Rabbi Jan Salzman said she was not a fan of the Netanyahu government, Hamas or the Palestinian Authority. “They are acting in ways that are completely unconducive to human nourishing and prosperity,” she said.
But Salzman called the proposed ballot item “one-sided” and said it did not reflect the views of Burlingtonians. She said she would support a resolution that put equal blame for the conflict on both sides.
Others echoed Salzman’s remarks, condemning violence by all parties and calling for a humanitarian response. They said the resolution does not support peace for all.
Some suggested the city focus on local issues, such as public safety and homelessness, rather than weigh in on international conflict.
Yet others said it was a local issue, citing a November shooting that injured three young Palestinian American men not far from City Hall. They argued that Vermont taxpayers send money to Israel; that the city-owned airport hosts the Vermont National Guard, which has deployed to the Middle East; and that corporations with a presence in Vermont supply Israel with military equipment.
Several speakers called the council “anti-Democratic” for not allowing voters to weigh in on the ballot measure and renewed their criticism of the council for rejecting the cease-fire resolution last month.
“I’m here tonight, as a Burlington resident with Jewish heritage, to ask that you not block the apartheid-free communities pledge from going on the ballot,” said Brita Fisher. “As someone whose family moved to the U.S. to escape antisemitic violence in Europe, I want to affirm that Jewish safety depends on Palestinian liberation.”
In anticipation of the vote, pro-Palestinian activists organized a rally on the steps of City Hall at 4:30 p.m., but it was cut short when the auditorium opened at 5 p.m. and speakers lined up to put their names in for public comment, many sporting kufiyas, or patterned Palestinian scarves.
Wafic Faour, a Palestinian American and spokesperson for Vermonters for Justice in Palestine, said in a brief speech in front of City Hall that the resolution was important because “American taxpayers provide Israel with all the support militarily — money, weapons and all kinds of aids — and they are responsible for what’s happening over there.”
Correction: An earlier version of this story misquoted Councilor Gene Bergman.
