Pressure is mounting from American and Israeli hostages to secure their release in the ongoing war, as calls for a permanent ceasefire grow louder and more local.
In New Jersey, members of the Rutgers-Newark community rallied Wednesday outside Newark City Hall, calling on the city council to support a ceasefire resolution. The resolution would largely be symbolic.
“It is long overdue for the city of Newark, and the United States, to call for a permanent ceasefire,” declared one speaker.
In total, close to 50 resolutions have been passed in 19 states across the U.S., four of which are municipalities here in New Jersey. Paterson, Haledon and Prospect Park passed it in December. Jersey City attempted to pass one in December, but it failed. And Tuesday night, Union City’s council joined those that passed a resolution, a move that this coalition applauded.
Newark’s City Council President LaMonica McIver said in a statement: “The turmoil in Israel and Gaza is wrong. In Newark, we stand with and pray for families on every side who have lost loved ones and are being traumatized daily by the horrific things the world is watching. We plead with all who love peace and justice to oppose attacks on innocent people as a solution to solve conflict.”
The calls come as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has returned to the Middle East, working to broker a deal between Israel and Hamas for a ceasefire. The proposal would include the release of Israeli hostages who’ve been held by the militant group for months in Gaza in exchange for more aid to reach Palestinians. Blinken met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top Israeli leaders to continue negotiations but acknowledged “a lot of work has to be done” to reach a deal.
Israel has publicly rejected a proposal from Hamas that includes three phases, which involved withdrawing Israeli troops from Gaza, a larger humanitarian effort, and freedom of movement for Palestinians throughout the territory. This comes after Israeli officials confirmed the deaths of 31 hostages in Hamas captivity.
