LOS ANGELES – Councilmembers Blumenfield and Yaroslavsky, representing two large Jewish populations in Los Angeles and serving as the City Council’s two Jewish members, issued the following statement in response to the recently introduced resolution by Councilmembers Hernandez and Raman regarding the war in Gaza and Israel.
“We oppose the resolution. While we know our colleagues to be well intentioned and appropriately desirous of seeing a peaceful end to the Gaza conflict — as are we — the resolution itself is flawed, biased and based on incorrect assumptions. Unfortunately, it adds to an already divisive local environment and distracts from the critical and immediate needs of our city and its many communities.
“Like our colleagues who introduced this motion, we too want to see a permanent end to the conflict and all people treated with dignity and respect. We are hopeful that President Biden’s efforts will prove fruitful and that Hamas, a U.S. designated and internationally-recognized terrorist organization, will accept the ceasefire that is pending before them. On June 3, 2024, State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said, “The roadblock right now to a ceasefire is not Israel – the roadblock to a ceasefire is Hamas.”
“It is important to recognize that prior to October 7, 2023 there had been a ceasefire in effect which Hamas clearly violated when it staged its ruthless attack - the largest single massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.
“Many of the resolution’s flaws, biases and problematic assumptions have been highlighted by a variety of groups and are detailed in a joint statement authored by the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles, Anti-Defamation League, American Jewish Committee, Board of Rabbis Southern California, Holocaust Museum, Agudath Israel of CA and StandWithUs as well this release from the Israeli American Civic Action Network. We urge supporters of the resolution to carefully consider these concerns.
“It is our hope that this resolution will be withdrawn or defeated. Again, we wish to see a real and permanent peace that leads to a two state solution where both Israel and a Palestinian State can securely and peacefully thrive next to each other.”