Town Meeting will vote on a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza at its next session in May.
The resolution, brought forward by Town Meeting member Omar Mabrouk and three other Brookline residents, calls for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire and the safe passage of substantial humanitarian aid to Gaza.”
The measure charges the Israeli government with committing war crimes, and it would have the town of Brookline oppose “unconditional military aid to Israel.” It also calls for the return of Israelis being held hostage by Hamas.
The group behind the warrant article, the Brookline Peace Coalition, also includes Neveen Taher, Beth Miller and Emma Nash.
“The intent is really to say that enough is enough. People have suffered tremendously on all sides of this,” said Mabrouk, who is a Town Meeting member in Precinct 5. “What we’re saying is that the suffering has been absolutely tragic beyond comprehension. We’re saying that we think if there’s any possible way for reconciliation here, it needs to start with a ceasefire.”
The latest death tolls number around 1,200 killed in Israel and more than 30,000 killed in Gaza, since the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks by Hamas and the ensuing military campaign by the Israeli Defense Forces. News organizations have not been able to independently verify those casualty statistics.
“I’m all for a ceasefire, I’m all for it. But we need Hamas to lay down their arms,” said Yana Shechterman, an Israeli Brookline resident and member of the Brookline Coalition Against Antisemitism.
She says she strongly opposes the Town Meeting resolution.
“There’s no mention of Hamas being a jihadist organization, with the sole purpose of killing Jews and the destruction of Israel,” she said. “I think the sole purpose of this warrant is to delegitimize Israel’s image, and to influence the public opinion towards American foreign policies, and to press officials to divest from Israel.”
Other Massachusetts municipalities, including Cambridge, Somerville and Medford have passed ceasefire resolutions in recent months.
While the resolution is non-binding and carries no legal power, it’s likely to be highly controversial at Town Meeting.
The Israel/Gaza war has been a divisive and emotional issue in Brookline, which has large Jewish and Israeli populations.
Town leaders previously sought to avoid a Town Meeting vote in support of Israel, with the Select Board defying state law in November to resist scheduling a Special Town Meeting on the resolution.
The board won’t have that option this time, because this resolution was filed as part of an annual Town Meeting, not as its own Special Town Meeting.
The emotionally-charged debate over the resolution will present a challenge for the new Town Moderator. With current moderator Kate Poverman planning to step down in May, there will be a new moderator elected just weeks before the session, which mostly includes articles on the town’s budget.
Poverman said that she is already seeing unusually high demand from Town Meeting members making requests to speak on the resolution.
“People are already getting passionate,” she said.
Poverman has previously questioned whether Town Meeting should weigh in on broader issues outside of Brookline at all, although it has a history of doing so, with past resolutions on Cuba and President Donald Trump.
“My personal opinion is that what Brookline thinks should happen in the Middle East will not have any effect on anything,” Poverman said.
The Town Meeting article also calls on the Massachusetts congressional delegation to act in accordance with the provisions of the ceasefire resolution.
The annual Town Meeting starts on May 28.