La Puente became the latest of more than 30 California cities to pass a resolution calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas on Tuesday, April 9.
The resolution was brought forward by city councilman David Argudo, and seconded by Mayor Gabriel Quinones after weeks of community input.
The council’s unanimous final decision to adopt the resolution came after nearly two hours of passionate public comment from 30 members of the La Puente community and the surrounding area. All of whom were in favor of an immediate and permanent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and a swift end to the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
Joshua Martinez, a Jewish Mexican-American from the La Puente area, discusses how he feels his culture is being undermined by the actions of Israel.
“I was raised in a beautiful culture, a beautiful Jewish tradition of kindness, love and compassion,” Martinez said. “But that’s not what the world is seeing because of this colonial state that is wiping away our beautiful culture with the cameras rolling as they mass murder women and children.”
Martinez has not felt safe since the war started.
“They manipulate our grief. They manipulate our trauma,” Martinez added. “Opportunistic organizations like the [Anti-Defamation League] and [American Israel Public Affairs Committee] are flooding our government with money and claiming this is about Jewish defense – Jewish safety, but I have never felt more unsafe in my life as a Jew.”
Martinez’s sentiment was shared by Avraham Stern, who is also Jewish and has familial ties to Israel. During his public comment, Stern made a clear distinction between Zionism and Judaism and expressed discontent with continued U. S. support of Netanyahu’s government.
“I’m tired of Zionism in Israel speaking for me,” Stern said. “Does being America’s friend mean Israel can do no wrong? Israel is Zionist, not Jewish. But does the perception of being Jewish mean Israel can do no wrong?”
During his public comment, Stern called on the council to hold state and federal officials accountable to the public voice.
“Stand up now,” Stern said. “I beg you. Or this genocide will continue in all of our names. Don’t ask us what you are supposed to do, show us what you can do. Don’t ask us what difference it will make; show us you can make a difference. Ceasefire now.”
Other notable speakers included many members from both the Jewish and Muslim diasporas as well as West Covina Mayor Brian Caldaron, who recently tried to bring a resolution to his own district but lacked support from his colleagues.
After consideration was given to what was said during public comment, council member Argudo motioned to reword the verbiage of the resolution to represent the desperate situation in Palestine and particularly in the Gaza Strip.
Changing the title of the resolution from “an end to the conflict in the middle east” to “an immediate and permanent ceasefire” was seconded by Mayor Quinones and subsequently accepted by the rest of the council.
The resolution was passed with a 4-0 vote, as council member Valerie Munoz was absent from the meeting. However, the reason for her absence is currently unclear.
Council member Nadia Mendoza addressed the crowd in her comments after the vote and thanked them for coming out to speak.
“You know, it’s just, it’s humbling that this is going on in real time,” Mendoza said. “And we’re here. We’re safe. As safe as we can be. As this is going on and we are watching it unfold in front of our eyes daily, it does not fall lightly on any of our conscience or our humanity. So thank you, thank you.”
The resolution came on the final day of the holy month of Ramadan.
La Puente became the most recent addition to the list of dozens of southern California cities to pass a ceasefire resolution. West Covina Mayor Caldaron said he plans to bring forth another resolution for his city in the coming weeks, with many others expected to follow suit soon after.
