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CEASEFIRE VOTE NARROWLY PASSES CHICAGO CITY COUNCIL, REVEALING DEEP
DIVISIONS AMONG DEMOCRATS  
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Shia Kapos
January 31, 2024
Politico
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_ Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson was the tie-breaking vote on a
measure that conflicts with Biden’s strategy in the Middle East. _

Demonstrators holding Palestinian flags rally in support pf
Palestinians in Chicago on Oct. 18, 2023., Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via
Getty Images

 

CHICAGO — The Chicago City Council approved a pro-ceasefire
resolution in dramatic fashion on Wednesday, underscoring that the
Israel-Hamas conflict is still causing deep divisions in the
Democratic party.

The vote, which was delayed by an hour due to disruptions from
protesters supporting the resolution, was so close that Mayor Brandon
Johnson had to break the tie in favor of the measure. Its passage made
Chicago the largest city in the country to call for an end to the
conflict.

The resolution was non-binding, but the rancorous meeting reveals that
the war in Gaza remains a fissure among Democrats — and one that’s
unlikely to abate as the election year gets underway. Detroit, San
Francisco and Atlanta city councils have also approved ceasefire
resolutions.

Alderperson Debra Silverstein, who is the only Jewish member of the
council, criticized the resolution’s supporters for going against
Biden’s foreign policy strategy, especially ahead of the convention
coming to Chicago.

“Chicago, America’s third-largest city, should not vote to strip
away President Biden’s control over U.S. foreign policy, especially
not as we are inviting him here for the Democratic National
Convention,” she said.

Biden himself has been shouted down by pro-Palestinian protesters at
unrelated campaign events in recent months, and was dogged
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pro-Palestinian protesters in Chicago recently.

Chicago and the surrounding Cook County area are home to the largest
Palestinian population in the country and the nearby Bridgeview
community is known as Little Palestine. The Chicago area is also home
to a large Jewish population. That combined, has added to Chicago
being a hotbed of tension over the Middle East
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Supporters of the ceasefire see it as an important message to Biden
ahead of the November election from a Democratic stronghold, imploring
him to pivot on the issue. He initially backed Israel’s
fight-fire-with-fire strategy, even if some of his language has
softened recently toward the Palestinians’ humanitarian crisis.

Chicago Alderperson Rossana Rodríguez-Sánchez, a co-sponsor of the
cease-fire resolution, told reporters she’s “proud” of the vote.
| Shia Kapos/POLITICO

Many Democrats are losing patience with the onslaught that has killed
26,000 people in Gaza.

“I think these conversations need to be had. That’s what democracy
is about. What are we doing if we’re not actually saying the things
that need to be said particularly in the face of a genocide?”
Chicago Alderperson Rossana Rodríguez-Sánchez, a co-sponsor of the
resolution, told POLITICO before the vote. “What we’re doing today
is an important exercise.”

Along with calling for a permanent cease-fire, the nonbinding
resolution
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for humanitarian assistance including medicine, food and water, to be
sent into the impacted region “and the immediate and unconditional
release of all hostages.”

Activists observing the vote from an enclosed viewing area overlooking
the chamber erupted in cheers when the measure passed. Before the
vote, the mayor admonished them to respect speakers supporting Israel.
Rev. Jesse Jackson had made an appearance earlier in the meeting, a
signal of his support of the ceasefire effort.

The divided council voted 23-23 on the resolution, with four
alderpeople not voting — three of whom were present but left before
the vote took place. Johnson, who had lobbied alderpeople ahead of the
vote, broke the tie.

Silverstein said the resolution didn’t go far enough to demand that
Hamas not attack again. She had spent weeks, she said, negotiating
language that both pro-Palestinian activists and Democrats who support
Israel could agree upon. After the vote, she said she was
“disappointed” that the mayor didn’t do more to help alderpeople
reach a compromise.

The Chicago alderperson had carried a resolution in October that
declared that Chicago officially condemns the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist
attack on Israel. That resolution passed, though numerous alderpeople
also skipped out on the vote to avoid taking a side.

After the vote, Rodríguez-Sánchez said, “I feel very proud and
happy that the Palestinian community that I believe has not felt heard
is going to be able to go home today knowing that the city government
has heard them.”

The ceasefire resolution was supposed to be voted on a week ago, but
Silverstein asked that it be delayed a week out of deference to
Holocaust Remembrance Day, which fell the same week.

Chicago Alderperson Debra Silverstein, the only Jewish member of the
council, expressed disappointment after the vote. | Shia
Kapos/POLITICO

In a statement, the Israeli Consulate in Chicago criticized the vote,
saying the resolution “undermines the position of the Biden
administration.”

The tension within the council mirrors what’s happening across the
country as the Democratic Party tries to manage its left.

“The discord that we see across the United States isn’t just
Republican versus Democrat. It’s within the Democratic Party, where
you have the Socialist Party trying to, you know, really get a
foothold,” said Chicago Alderperson Scott Waguespack, who was a
leader in the Progressive Caucus but is now seen by some on the far
left as being too moderate.

Similar dissension has happened across the country as mostly
Democratic cities debate ceasefire resolutions.

Abed Ayoub, the national executive director of the Arab American
Anti-Discrimination Committee, said divisiveness within the party is
“a failure of the leadership” of the Democratic Party.

“We know over the past few years that the attitudes toward
Israel-Palestine have been changing. The public opinions have been
changing,” Ayoub said. “But the politics hasn’t been moving.
That’s the problem. And now we’re seeing it manifest.”

_SHIA KAPOS is a reporter for POLITICO and author of POLITICO's
Illinois Playbook, the most indispensable morning newsletter for
influencers in Illinois government and politics._

_Prior to joining POLITICO, she wrote the popular Taking Names column
for the Chicago Sun-Times (and before that Crain’s Business).
She’s also had stints at Dealreporter and the Salt Lake Tribune.
Shia’s career has been built on breaking news and landing sit-down
interviews with notable names and personalities. She’s covered
billionaires on the rise and lawmakers’ precipitous falls—and all
the terrain in between._

_POLITICO is the global authority on the intersection of politics,
policy, and power. It is the most robust news operation and
information service in the world specializing in politics and policy,
which informs the most influential audience in the world with insight,
edge, and authority. Founded in 2007, POLITICO has grown to a team of
700 working across North America, more than half of whom are editorial
staff._

* War on Gaza
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* chicago
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* Brandon Johnson
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* Cease Fire
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