Cleveland City Council Passes Gaza Ceasefire Resolution

After 17 weeks of protests, chanting, and heated public comment, a Gaza ceasefire resolution was passed in Cleveland City Council on Monday evening.

The resolution, which passed unanimously and is meant to declare political sympathy for victims of the Israel-Hamas War along with condemning Hamas' attacks on Oct. 7, was the prime focus of hundreds of protestors that filled Council Chambers since late last year.

Many of the protesters were confused as to why, unlike councils in Akron or Columbus, Cleveland's legislative body was seemingly tiptoeing around what appeared to be a plain acknowledgement of suffering.

“This Council condemns the attacks in Israel on October 7th that lead to the loss of Israeli and American lives and the taking of hundreds of hostages,” the legislation passed Monday reads.

“This Council and Clevelanders of all faiths and backgrounds have expressed profound concern for the innocent civilians suffering and are alarmed by the loss of tens of thousands of innocent Palestinian and American lives due to the war in Gaza," it adds. "Further, this Council calls for international aid to go immediately and directly to the people of Gaza.”

In an interview with Ideastream's Abbey Marshall, Council President Blaine Griffin, who previously denounced a Council backing of a resolution, said that he felt obliged to follow the United Nations' stance on Gaza. Earlier in the day, the U.N., after a similar amount of thumb twiddling, passed a resolution calling for "immediate ceasefire in Gaza."

"Even though the United States did not vote for it, they did not veto it," Griffin told Ideastream on Monday. "That gave me the inclination that the United States is supportive of it, and even though they might not be fully supportive of it, at least it felt like we're aligned with our government and the rest of the world."

He added, "Anytime you lose this amount of life, people in our community are hurt, so it’s the right thing to do."


Councilwoman Rebecca Mauer stood alone until now, giving an impassioned speech in favor of a resolution back in January hours after Griffin announced that council would consider no such legislation.

Juan Collado Díaz, a community organizer who rallied a majority of the Gaza sympathy protests, told Scene Tuesday morning he was both relieved and unsatisfied with Griffin's decision, which he saw as overly delayed.
"They had 17 weeks to do that," Collado Díaz said. "And how many kids got killed over the 17 weeks? I mean, I know a local government can’t do anything with international affairs. But they just felt their jobs were getting threatened."

"This wasn't meant for freedom, or the liberation of Palestine," he added. "More like, 'Stop showing up every Monday.'"

Since October, fighting between Israel and Hamas has led to 1,200 casualties in Israel's borders, the New York Times reported, along with 250 hostages. In Gaza, which has been shaken and decimated by Israeli airstrikes, over 32,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed.

Collado Díaz said that there will still be a few members of the pro-Palestine coalition who attend Monday Council meetings, as to both interrogate the reasoning behind the 17-week delay and to continue the spirit of protests behind what Collado Díaz ultimately sees as a win.

As it is, he said, for the city. "That Cleveland believes in a better world," he said. "That we stand up against hatred." Subscribe to Cleveland Scene newsletters.

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