The city of Richmond, California, voted early Wednesday morning to condemn Israel — just under three weeks after Hamas terrorists breached the fence from Gaza and slaughtered 1,400 Israelis, many of whom were women and children.
The Richmond City Council voted to condemn the still-reeling Jewish nation for its response, accusing Israel of “war crimes” and saying that Gazans — particularly Palestinians — are suffering because the “state of Israel is engaging in collective punishment against the Palestinian people in Gaza in response to Hamas attacks on Israel.”
“Israel is now engaged in an ethnic cleansing campaign by explicitly requiring 2 million Palestinians to leave Gaza immediately or risk being bombed in their homes by the Israeli army,” the resolution stated.
In addition to demanding an immediate ceasefire, the Bay Area council’s resolution insisted that the way should be cleared in order to allow “safe passage of substantial humanitarian aid to Gaza.”
The resolution did call on Hamas terrorists to allow the “immediate release of all Israeli hostages” — of which there are believed to be around 200 still being held in the terror group’s spiderweb-like network of underground tunnels.
But the council once again placed the majority of the blame on Israel, demanding an “end to Israeli apartheid and the occupation and blockade of Palestinian land by Israeli military forces.”
“The City of Richmond opposes all existing and any future military aid to Israel,” it concluded.
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Richmond Mayor Eduardo Martinez defended the resolution, saying that it was not anti-semitic. “There has not been one single word that says we are against the Jewish people,” he said. “If it sounds one-sided, it’s because it voices a narrative that has been ignored.”
One resident told Fox News that statements like those in the council’s resolution were only likely to give Hamas a green light to commit further atrocities against Israelis.
“I’m a Richmond resident and of Jewish heritage. I totally oppose this resolution because it is full of lies that will only incentivize the Hamas Nazi terrorists and their supporters and add to the suffering of the poor Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank for decades. This resolution supports the goals of the Palestinian dictatorships to kill all Jews and destroy Israel,” the resident said.
The Jewish Community Relations Council in San Francisco condemned the resolution, calling it “inflammatory.”
CEO Tyler Gregory held nothing back in his response to The San Francisco Chronicle, saying, “Hamas had a great night in Richmond. The council demonstrated profound ignorance and incompetence. Richmond could not bring itself to condemn mass murder against Jewish civilians and is not a safe place for Jews.”
“There will be consequences for this taxpayer-funded circus,” he said.
The resolution passed 5-1, with only Councilmember Cesar Zepeda voting no. Zepeda, who voiced concern that the resolution would only cause more division, said, “I seek to bring everyone together in a community for peace.”