Nearly 7,500 Sheffield residents in a petition have urged the city council to “step up and take moral leadership” over the Gaza crisis.
The Council’s Petitions Scheme requires that a petition containing over 5,000 signatures from individuals who live, work or study in Sheffield, be the subject of debate at the Council meeting.
In a meeting on Wednesday 6th March, local Jewish baker Jonny Feldman presented the three key points from the petition that they wanted Sheffield City Council to adopt.
He said: “We welcome the council passing back in November a ceasefire motion, and before that the council recognised the state of Palestine, but it is not enough.
“The crime of apartheid being committed by Israel is a crime against humanity. What we are witnessing in Gaza is the type of industrial slaughter we thought we would never see again.”
Within the petition, they want the city council to issue a statement saying that they stand in “unity and solidarity” with Palestinians, alongside declaring Sheffield an Israeli Apartheid Free Zone. The city council similarly did this in 1981 in relation to South Africa.
The Israeli government denies allegations of apartheid and says it is following international law in its conflict with Hamas in Gaza.
They also want the council to accept a detailed report published by independent human rights organisation Amnesty International about the conflict in Gaza.
Lead Coun Tom Hunt said: “What is happening in Gaza is a tragedy – over 30,000 people, as has already been mentioned, have died, countless people have been injured and families have lost lives and livelihoods.
“As the petition demonstrates, a great deal of people in this city, and in this chamber, are rightly concerned about the suffering of Palestinian people and have joined demonstrations, raised money to support humanitarian relief efforts and have made their voices heard”.
LibDem Lead Coun Shaffaq Mohammed said: “Look, I want this war to stop today, I want those poor people in Gaza to have access to aid but – I’m being realistic and looking you in the eye – there’s not a lot that we can actually do that’s going to influence the Americans.
He made it clear that the ceasefire was an international issue.
On the contrary, Green Coun Alexi Dimond said: “This is the highest rate of killing since the Rwandan genocide. Despite our resolution, this council has not taken any public action or statements in support of Palestinians.”
After a debate and a halt for party group leaders to hear legal advice, members voted 64-13 to refer the petition to the strategy and resources committee, rather than immediately make a decision.
Green councillors voted against.
