Mayor Steinberg joins Muslim, Jewish and other community leaders in bringing bilateral ceasefire resolution to City Council

Sacramento (March 14, 2024) Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg will bring a resolution to the City Council on Tuesday, March 19 calling for a bilateral ceasefire in Israel and Gaza. The resolution is the product of many months of discussions with community members and represents a balanced approach to a complex situation. Read the full resolution here.

Unlike the resolutions coming before many local government bodies, this one recognizes both the importance of a safe and secure Israel and of an independent Palestinian state. It condemns the atrocities committed by Hamas on Oct. 7, calls for the immediate release of all hostages, immediate humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza and notes that Israel’s military response has killed more than 25,000 people in Gaza and wounded over 70,000 more. It condemns the rise in Islamophobia and anti-Semitism.

“In the midst of great mourning, anger, and fear over the war in the Middle East, I’m calling on our community to once again choose hope over continued division,” Mayor Steinberg said. “The resolution contains language important to all sides. It also includes some provisions that each side would write differently if they wrote it themselves. That is the nature of principled compromise. We may not be able to create peace in the Middle East, but we can model what we want to see throughout the world here in our own city.”

The resolution is backed by leaders of the Sacramento Valley Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Prominent members of the Jewish community also support it, as do other members of the inter-faith community.

“Sacramento is a community that always comes together to support each other during challenging times. Calling for a ceasefire and acknowledging each other’s perspectives is a significant step for our communities. Our mutual desire for humanity and peace is something that can only be realized through discussion and dialogue,” said Basim Elkarra, CAIR-Sacramento Valley/Central California Executive Director.

Former Sacramento City Councilmember and Jewish community leader Jay Schenirer said: “We have to create a venue and an environment where we can talk to one another. I believe this is a valuable step in that direction.”

The Very Rev. Matthew Woodward, Dean of Sacramento’s Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, said: “We must pray and work for peace for all in the Holy Land. This resolution sets out how we might go about that work, and as such I’m praying for its success.”

Bishop Megan Traquair of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California also said she supported the resolution. “I concur with the resolution as written,” said Bishop Traquair. “This crisis has gone on too long, and too many precious lives have been lost and destroyed. It’s time for bold leadership and a spirit of peace and mercy to prevail.”