Boulder City Council on Thursday decided not to move forward with the consideration of a ceasefire resolution between Israel and Gaza.
There was not a resolution facing councilmembers on Thursday night. Instead, they were discussing whether or not to even consider a ceasefire resolution.
“We do have a city rule that says the council should not take up foreign policy matters. So we're going to check in with counsel to see if we want to go against that rule and consider the possibility of adopting a ceasefire at some future time," explained Boulder Mayor Aaron Brockett. “The war in the Middle East is not something that the Boulder City Council can have a significant impact on. But in the meantime, we have major local issues that we can make a difference on, you know, things like homelessness and transportation that we work on really hard. So I'd like to see us focus on those local issues, personally.”
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Dozens of people showed up to the meeting for the public comment portion, some draped in flags and others holding signs.
“In addition to the rise in antisemitism that we hear about all the time, there is also an alarming rise in Islamophobia going on that has gone virtually ignored," said Giselle Herzfeld.
“The Zionist agenda would have us believe that antisemitism is being used as an excuse for this possible genocide that's going on, which in itself is not only antisemitic but also spits in the face of ancestors who suffered and died to bring us the liberties we have today," said Ryan LeBlanc.
Those who were against the resolution said it "will only make it worse and create further fractions within the council and community. Moreover, it will also create a platform that will be used to feel more antisemitism.”
Another opponent told the councilmembers, “It is imperative that we prioritize the needs of our community and refrain from getting involved in conflicts thousands of miles away.”
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Seven councilmembers indicated they would not consider proposing the resolution. Taishya Adams and Lauren Folkerts were the two councilmembers who were interested in moving forward with considering the ceasefire resolution.
Adams said at the end of the meeting she does "not want to be on the record" as agreeing with the decision made by the city council.
The mayor had planned on presenting a declaration condemning Islamophobia and antisemitism on Thursday night but said it was delayed. Brockett said it will be brought up again soon once all committee members had the chance to weigh in on the declaration and ensure the language used is correct.
