After three and a half hours of impassioned public comment, a City Council order about a cease-fire for violence in the Middle East came to a shockingly fast defeat Monday in Cambridge.
The policy order resolution by city councillor Quinton Zondervan and co-sponsored by Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui would have had councillors support U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley’s call for a cease-fire in Israeli retaliation for an Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas, as well as for the deployment of humanitarian aid to Gaza, its target in weeks of bombing.
More than 200 people signed up to speak during public comment, and some 140 used their minute at the lectern or calling in to say why support was correct, or if they thought such foreign policy matters should be outside council purview; that they have been feeling less safe in Cambridge because of a surge in antisemitism or Islamophobia; and that the order was a good start, or lacking certain language and therefore fatally flawed.
When the time for debate arrived, though, the order was handled in around 10 minutes.
After introductory remarks by Zondervan and Siddiqui, councillor Patty Nolan had the floor, remarking that “foreign policy is not something that should be before the council in a meeting like this, especially in light of the clear division in our community.” She said she intended to call the question – which cuts off debate and leads to an immediate vote – and had a substitute motion ready for if that failed.
It’s rarely done, and caught councillors by surprise. Six members favored an immediate decision without debate, and three – Burhan Azeem, Marc McGovern and the mayor – were opposed.
The vote was upon Azeem again almost immediately. The clerk called his name for a decision.
There was a long silence.
“I was not ready for this,” Azeem said with a nervous chuckle. “I had comments and amendments and a suggestion.”
There was a longer silence. Azeem shifted.
The mayor nudged him from the dais: “Councillor Azeem, you just have to vote.”
“Can I not vote?” he asked.
Upon an explanation that the options were a yes, no or that he was present but essentially abstaining, Azeem quickly voted that he was “present.”
The same vote sounded around the chamber – McGovern’s vote uttered with an audible shrug, as he’d intended to explain his position before the question had been called and the option taken away – until Zondervan and Siddiqui were the only members in favor. The 2-0-7 result meant the order failed, though technically not because anyone was opposed.
The rest of the council’s business was handled quickly, and the meeting ended less than 10 minutes later. The last item in council meetings is announcements, which are usually about upcoming events; in this case, Azeem used the time to say: “I have been the councillor who said all term that we shouldn’t have foreign policy resolutions. But I don’t think this was handled correctly.”
A previous Israel order
An order Zondervan filed in May 2021 went differently. He’d filed a motion to explore how Cambridge vendor contracts intersect with foreign policy, and comment from the public and fellow councillors interpreted it as referring to a Palestinian-led movement called Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions. That raised the issue of antisemitism among some speakers, and ultimately public comment stretched to 7.5 hours – or 553 comments – before lengthy debate among councillors, several of them irate. They called it a “political charade” that traumatized Cantabrigians. The words were Siddiqui’s.
Monday’s vote responded to something more urgent. After 1,200 Israelis died in the Hamas attack and hundreds more were taken hostage, Palestinian deaths in Gaza in retaliation have been estimated at more than 12,000. Several speakers said around 5,000 of those deaths were children.
“The death toll is increasing daily, and even by the minute, so I’m not going to add a lot more comments here,” Zondervan said. “The resolution speaks for itself. It’s a call for a cease-fire and humanitarian aid to civilians and to free all the hostages.”
Zondervan it was “a very charged issue and brings up a lot of emotions,” prompting Siddiqui to address directly why it was before a city council far from the bloodshed.
“There is a history in Cambridge of the council speaking out against violence and using our collective voice to call for peace. And for me this resolution is a continuation of that sentiment,” Siddiqui said. “Children are the biggest victims of this violence, and we should do everything in our power to protect them. That’s the main intention.”
Breakdown in community
The Mayor’s Office has seen a surge in calls from people who feel unsafe in Cambridge because of a rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia, Siddiqui said, and the resolution tried to “call for supporting both Israeli and Palestinian residents and being a place where students, families, staff and community can support one another and join in thinking about peace.”
Police spokesperson Robert Goulston late Monday confirmed that there had been an uptick in hate crimes reported in Cambridge.
As of Tuesday, there have been six antisemitic hate crimes reported to police just since Oct. 7, compared with four in all of 2022, Goulston said. There have been two anti-Arab hate crimes since that date, compared with zero in 2022. Of those eight incidents, four were vandalism, two were threats and two were assaults. “These numbers could change after the end of the year when we review all our bias incidents,” Goulston said.
Public commenters testified to the breakdown in community as well, though some added that the policy order resolution itself made them feel less safe.
Residents disagreed even on the intent of language being used. The slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” was uttered and unfurled on a banner from the second floor of the council chambers Monday, seen by some as a threat to wipe out Israelis in the way and by others as an innocent expression about feeling safe and independent of Israeli control.
One voice that stood out among the division was Judy Somberg, a Mid-Cambridge resident. “I’m a Jew. I raised my children in the Jewish community in Cambridge. I do not feel unsafe here. I’ve been to many demonstrations in the past month and Palestinian, Jewish, interfaith, they have all been welcoming to me,” Somberg said. “There is antisemitism, but this is not it.”
“It’s also appropriate for the City Council to speak on foreign policy issues,” Somberg said. “It’s important that we amplify the call for a cease-fire. Every additional call for it adds up and makes it more possible.”
This post was updated Nov. 21, 2023, with information from Cambridge police.
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It’s a real shame that they didn’t vote to support the ceasefire. I’m sure that had it passed, Bibi Netanyahu would have delivered an address to the Israeli parliament announcing his change of heart due to the brave stance taken by the city council of a small city 5,500 miles away.
The voting behavior of the city council on the policy order regarding the Ceasefire in Palestine and Israel is unequivocally shameful on the part of Councilor Patty Nolan and deeply concerning with respect to Councilor Quinton Zondervan. Councilor Nolan’s move to call the question, effectively cutting off debate and rushing to an immediate vote, amounts to nothing short of a motion for censorship. Despite opposition from Councilors Burhan, Marc, and Sumbul, who advocated for further discussion to reach a resolution on the policy order, Councilor Zondervan’s decision to vote for ending the debate raises serious questions (given his co-sponsorship of the policy). His deciding vote not only jeopardized the chances of the policy order passing but also calls into question his true commitment to achieving a meaningful resolution for a ceasefire by the city council, beyond mere symbolic support. Additionally, Councilor Nolan’s approach in this matter is blatantly disrespectful to the hundreds of Palestinians and Jews who attended the public comment session, pouring out their heartfelt pain, only to be abruptly silenced later. As Councilor Burhan rightfully pointed out, the entire situation was poorly handled and is entirely incompatible with fostering constructive council proceedings.
The wording of the Policy Order itself was problematic if in fact, as Zondervan and Siddiqui claimed, the gesture was to show support for both the hostages and the civilians of Gaza. That could be seen by the division it made in the community during the hours of public comment. After hearing the pain and confusion this proposal caused Siddiqui as mayor and proposer should have taken action to clarify the message, which she didn’t do.
Clearly the majority of Councilors felt the same way, except Azeem who is far too often just confused.
To continue to label a more than forty-day genocidal bombardment of civilians in Gaza – including the slaughter of literally thousands of Palestinian children – “retaliation” is a grotesque distortion and smacks of pro-Israel talking points and propaganda. Enough already.
Careful Poor Bono….you don’t want to get fired from your job, let go from your talent agency, or threatened with doxxing for speaking common sense……
The comments we heard on Monday were powerful, as many shared personal stories of how this violence has impacted their lives, from those who knew people who were taken hostage by Hamas, to those who lost loved ones in Gaza.
After the 6-3 vote in support of a motion made by Councillor Nolan, to “call the question,” all debate and chance for amendments was lost. I did not vote to “call the question” as I believed the community deserved to hear where we stood on this issue. I voted “Present” on the original order because although I supported calling for a ceasefire, the release of all hostages and immediate humanitarian aid to Gaza, I could not vote “yes” unless some of the language was changed. I was disappointed that we lost the opportunity to work out our differences and find a way to get to, “yes.”
Some have commented that this is an international issue and not a local one. The fact is, there are many in our community who are hurting. People are scared for their safety, people are sad and traumatized, people are in mourning, people are scared for their loved ones. We have people right here in Cambridge who are being impacted by what is going on thousands of miles away, making this not just an international issue, but a local one.
Although, Councillors may have different opinions on this crisis, as a collective body, our responsibility should be to help bridge the divide that exists in our community, not exacerbate it, and there are clearly some strong and valid feelings on both sides of this issue.
I believe its possible to condemn Hamas for their heinous actions, as well as acknowledge the loss of innocent lives in Gaza due to Israel’s military response. I believe we should call for a stop to the violence, and for the immediate release of hostages and for immediate humanitarian aid.
Cambridge needs to be a safe place for everyone. We must respect our diverse opinions. We must stand against anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. There have been local incidents of our Jewish and Muslim residents being verbally and physically abused in Cambridge, and that is unacceptable.
I know this is extremely painful and these feelings are rooted in decades of conflict. My heart breaks for our Muslim, Jewish and Arab neighbors locally and around the world. I am committed to helping bring our community together during this difficult time.
Poor Bono: If what’s happening in Gaza is genocidal, then literally every war is a genocide. It’s an asinine suggestion. It can be reasonably argued that Israel’s response is disproportionate, but that is not nearly the same thing as trying to eradicate an entire people.
This rhetoric is unhelpful, to put it mildly. It’s alienating and upsetting to Jews, who really were the victims of genocide. You can, of course, continue to say these things. But it’s hurtful.
Sam:While I couldn’t disagree more that it’s “common sense” to call the Israel-Gaza war genocide, Poor Bono has every right to say these things, and I think it would be absolutely terrible if he were to be canceled for it. Bad shouldn’t be squelched; it should be combatted with more speech.
Marc: I think it’s reasonable for things happening within the community to be addressed by City Council. A policy order condemning the heinous pro-Hamas rally that happened in front of City Hall on Indigenous Peoples’ Day would make sense. A policy order condemning antisemitism and other forms of hate also seems to fall within the purview of City Council. But it simply doesn’t make sense for the City of Cambridge to weigh in on foreign policy. You guys have absolutely no influence on what the Israel Defense Force does. What’s the limiting principle? Why not weigh in on the energy policy of the German government? After all, that impacts climate change here. What about the actions of the Iranian government? Their continued repression of women is upsetting to Iranian-Americans. I could go on and on.
Hi Dan. Thanks for your feedback. I agree that no one involved in this crisis cares what the Cambridge City Council thinks. Anyone who thinks that the violence would stop because the Council demanded it, has a pretty inflated view of the Council.
I continue to disagree that there isn’t a local impact. If we filed a policy order on Germany’s role in the climate crisis, as you suggest, we would not receive close to 300 emails and almost 4 hours of public comment. This crisis clearly is impacting our residents.
As you know, I did not add my name to the original order. But once it got put in front of us, and generated the feelings it did (pretty evenly split pro/con), then we had an obligation to deal with it.
Thanks again for your comments.