Source: Politics<\/p>\n
CHICAGO \u2014 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The resolution was non-binding, but the rancorous meeting reveals that the war in Gaza remains a fissure among Democrats \u2014 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.<\/p>\n
Alderperson Debra Silverstein, who is the only Jewish member of the council, criticized the resolution’s supporters for going against Biden\u2019s foreign policy strategy, especially ahead of the convention coming to Chicago.<\/p>\n
\u201cChicago, America\u2019s third-largest city, should not vote to strip away President Biden\u2019s control over U.S. foreign policy, especially not as we are inviting him here for the Democratic National Convention,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Biden himself has been shouted down by pro-Palestinian protesters at unrelated campaign events in recent months, and was dogged<\/a> by pro-Palestinian protesters in Chicago recently.<\/p>\n 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s fight-fire-with-fire strategy, even if some of his language has softened recently toward the Palestinians’ humanitarian crisis.<\/p>\n Many Democrats are losing patience with the onslaught that has killed 26,000 people in Gaza.<\/p>\n \u201cI think these conversations need to be had. That\u2019s 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?\u201d Chicago Alderperson Rossana Rodr\u00edguez-S\u00e1nchez, a co-sponsor of the resolution, told POLITICO before the vote. \u201cWhat we’re doing today is an important exercise.\u201d<\/p>\n