In “Port Townsend City Council calls for ceasefire in Gaza” (PDN, Jan. 24) Peter Segall mentioned that a similar Port Angeles resolution was tabled.
“We’re working with the local Jewish community so that we don’t conflate the actions of the State of Israel with antisemitism,…”, said Councilmember Lindsey Schromen-Wawrin.
The change of heart, or pause, didn’t happen in a vacuum.
The article also stated that people were fearful to oppose the resolution at the risk of sounding hateful.
Several of us raised the alarm and heralded people to a stacked council chamber where everything was removed from the agenda except for this issue.
I testified and one of the proponents of the resolution did label another speaker and I “hateful and xenophobic.”
Altogether 30 people braved the risk of being misconstrued and branded hateful and spoke out opposing the resolution, while only 13 spoke in favor of it.
I have seen, firsthand, at least seven Pro-Palestinian demonstrations in downtown Seattle, including one where they interrupted the Christmas tree lighting event using a bull horn to shout out over the caroling entertainers who eventually stopped.
At some point we lit the tree and everyone shouted for joy and went home.
Words matter and these resolutions matter.
They will present stacks of them to Congress demanding that we stop supporting Israel.
We need to stand with the nation of Israel and support them in dismantling Hamas and sending them down the road, together with the Palestinians who elected them to power.
Dan Anderson
Port Angeles