Tension in S.F. over anti-Israel resolution
Rachel Gordon, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
(06-16) 08:45 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- Tensions soared at City Hall on Tuesday over a nonbinding resolution calling for the condemnation of the Israeli military's deadly raid on a flotilla headed for Gaza.
At least nine people were killed by Israeli naval commandos during the May 31 raid on ships carrying aid for the isolated Gaza region, which is under an Israeli blockade.
The legislation, sponsored by Supervisors John Avalos and Sophie Maxwell, has more than two dozen "whereas" clauses.
It attempts to localize the attack that took place a half-a-world away by noting San Francisco's "recognition and understanding of our population's unique relationship to international struggles and the overall principle that human life, whether here or abroad, has value and dignity."
After more than four hours of public testimony that lasted until nearly midnight, the Board of Supervisors didn't vote on the resolution. Instead, the supervisors sent it to committee, where critics hoped it would die.
Although the legislation carries no legal weight, it took on an importance in the world of public relations, providing a forum for the contentious Israeli-Palestinian debate to be heard. Both sides flooded the supervisors with e-mails, phone calls and personal visits.
Avalos acknowledged that there are "so many different realities, so many different sides," but was not ready to back down from the legislation he helped draft.
"I've been told that this resolution is divisive," he said. "But really it acknowledges the disproportionate power the state of Israel has to create a blockade and enforce it on the high seas, even to the extent of attacking civilians in the dead of night."
Just what happened on those high seas and what led to the deadly confrontation is a matter of debate, with conflicting accounts still being sorted out.
The proposed resolution has inserted San Francisco into the conflict.
"San Francisco is an extremely important symbol; it represents freedom and idealism, and no one wants to see that symbol hijacked," said Akiva Tor, Israel's consul general for the Pacific Northwest region, who planted himself on a bench outside the supervisors' chamber, waiting for the resolution to be heard.
"It may be a nonbinding resolution, but people are paying attention," he said.
Lubna Morrar, who works with the Palestinian Youth Network and the Arab Resource and Organizing Center, agreed that many are watching what San Francisco does with what quickly flared into a divisive issue.
"It is very important for the city of San Francisco to take a stand on this," she said. "This resolution can be a steppingstone for human rights all over the world."
Before the board meeting, both sides of the debate squared off during dueling noon-time rallies outside City Hall. At times, uniformed sheriff's deputies had to step in to separate people when the in-your-face arguing got precariously close to physical confrontation. One man blew a shofar, a horn used for Jewish religious purposes, to try to drown out speakers condemning Israel.
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