AURORA | Aurora City Council members argued heatedly Monday about whether a resolution condemning the invasion of Israel by Hamas should also include references to Israeli mistreatment of Palestinians.
Attempts by progressives to introduce denunciations of Islamophobia and violence against Palestinian civilians were met with incredulity from some conservatives, who characterized them as inappropriate and detracting from the gravity of Hamas’ attack on Israel.
“What happened to the people of Israel is the worst attack against Jews since the Holocaust,” said Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky, who is the group’s only Jewish member. “This is a moment for the Jewish people and the state of Israel, and anything you want to amend to this, I pray that my common-sense colleagues will not allow it to happen. This moment right now is for the Jewish people.”
Palestinian militants led by Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, firing thousands of rockets toward the country and assaulting numerous civilian targets, including a music festival near Re’im where at least 260 concertgoers were massacred and others taken hostage.
The Israeli military repelled the Hamas invasion and responded with a bombing campaign targeting Gaza that left 3,478 Palestinians dead and another 12,065 injured as of Oct. 18, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
The Israeli government reports that more than 1,400 Israelis have been killed and another 3,500 wounded in the conflict that has erupted between Israel and Gaza.
Targets of Israeli airstrikes have included residential buildings and other civilian targets, which the Israeli military has claimed were harboring elements of Hamas. Israel has also imposed a “total blockade” on food, water, electricity and fuel to the strip.
A commission of the United Nations Human Rights Council announced Oct. 10 that there is “clear evidence that war crimes may have been committed” in the region. In its announcement, the commission specifically expressed concern about the killing of Israeli civilians by Hamas and the group’s alleged use of hostages as human shields.
The commission also said it was “gravely concerned” with Israel’s response to the attack, including the blockade imposed on Gaza, which the group said would “undoubtfully cost civilian lives and constitutes collective punishment.”
Councilmember Francoise Bergan, who sponsored the council resolution Monday, said the resolution focused specifically on the harm done to Israel because that country had been attacked and its citizens “have a right to defend themselves.”
“Hamas has violated all laws of war. I mean, what they have done is atrocious. And if that would have happened to the United States, I don’t think we would say that we were committing war crimes by defending ourselves,” Bergan said.
Bergan rejected a suggestion by Councilmember Alison Coombs to include a condemnation of “war crimes,” which Coombs pointed out both Israel and Hamas are being scrutinized for, as well as “apartheid,” referring to Israel’s treatment of the inhabitants of Gaza and the West Bank.
Jurinsky accused Coombs of being antisemitic in a social media post earlier in the day when Coombs expressed support for the Working Families Party’s call for a military ceasefire in the region.
After Councilmember Ruben Medina suggested the statement in the resolution that “the City of Aurora expresses its support for the people of Israel in their pursuit of peace, security, and prosperity” be modified to also reference the people of Palestine, Jurinsky objected, pointing out that Palestinians elected Hamas to lead Gaza in 2006.
She also described Hamas’ charter as calling for the “complete genocide” of Jews. Hamas’ original 1988 charter includes numerous expressions of hostility toward Jewish people, including a quote from an Islamic hadith:
“The Day of Judgment will not come until Muslims fight the Jews, when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say, ‘O Muslim, O servant of God, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him.’ Only the Gharkad tree would not do that, because it is one of the trees of the Jews.”
The group’s updated 2017 charter states that the group does not necessarily oppose Jewish people nor their faith. However, it also explicitly rejects the legitimacy of the Israeli state and endorses “armed resistance” as a way of achieving the group’s goals.
“It’s very sad any innocent casualties that can come from this situation, especially the children in Palestine. But it is no secret, and it’s very public that it is the people of Palestine who elected Hamas to govern them,” Jurinsky said Monday.
Councilmember Juan Marcano proposed that the resolution also condemn Islamophobia and violence against Palestinians, which Jurinsky also spoke against, saying “Israel has a right to protect her people, period.”
“I’m sure Crystal Murillo is next with some sort of amendment, and you guys can play this game all you want, and you can detract, and detract, and detract from what really happened, but let me tell you what really happened: Jewish babies were beheaded,” she said.
Israeli journalists have alleged that babies were beheaded by Palestinian militants in their assault on Israel. Israeli officials and U.S. President Joe Biden initially corroborated this but have since distanced themselves from the claim, which remains unconfirmed.
“Alison Coombs, think about that. Think about your son being beheaded,” Jurinsky added, raising her voice at the council member. “Would you care who did it? Would you care who did it? Would it matter what religion they were, what race they were? Would it matter? Do not try to turn this around into some kind of Islamophobia. You don’t get to have that moment. This moment right here is for the Jewish people and the state of Israel.”
Coombs brought up how a 6-year-old boy, Wadea Al Fayoume, was stabbed to death and his mother attacked in the Chicago area following the Hamas invasion in what police are now investigating as an anti-Muslim hate crime.
“Hamas did engage in a terrorist attack, and just as we saw after 9/11, people in our country are engaged in Islamophobia on that basis, and so I do think there’s a valid concern there that we should be thinking about,” Coombs said.
Mayor Mike Coffman said he also has concerns about Islamophobia and raised the idea of a separate resolution dealing with anti-Muslim hatred but said he thought Bergan’s proposal did not need to encompass that.
Murillo also suggested adding a reference to Palestine in parts of the resolution expressing the city’s recognition of the “historical and cultural significance of Israel and its importance to the global community” and encouraging “dialogue, understanding, and cooperation between the city and organizations representing the Israeli community.”
Conservatives rejected the proposed amendments by Murillo and the other progressive council members. No council members opposed the resolution moving forward from Monday’s study session.
Very disappointed in Allison Coombs who seems oblivious to the fact that Hamas invaded Israel torturing and killing every Jew in sight. Hooray for Danielle Jurinsky, she is right on target. Has Allison and her colleagues forgotten that Hamas is a terrorist organization and puts its own civilians in harm’s way? By the way, it should also be noted that Israel is not an apartheid state. The only way this violence stops is when the Palestinians (including Hamas) recognize Israel’s right to exist.
The City Council could have a separate resolution expressing concern for the Islamic community and some anti-Muslim expressions and actions.
Very disappointed in Allison Coombs who seems oblivious to the fact that Hamas invaded Israel torturing and killing every Jew in sight. Hooray for Danielle Jurinsky, she is right on target. Has Allison and her colleagues forgotten that Hamas is a terrorist organization and puts its own civilians in harm’s way? By the way, it should also be noted that Israel is not an apartheid state. The only way this violence stops is when the Palestinians (including Hamas) recognize Israel’s right to exist.
Don’t we have potholes that need fixing?
I see this as a “no win situation”
However, frankly? the Aurora City Council is out of bounds.
What real good does this ‘resolution’ accomplish?
Why does Aurora’s opinion on the conflict in Israel matter to this degree at this point? Can’t a message of dismay and sorrow be enough until a clearer picture is available? The original attack by Hamas was horrible, and Israel has a right to respond within the laws governing war. I think it is wise to issue a shorter statement to be followed by a thoughtful response in the light of newer developments!
This is little more than Republicans desperately trying to insert national politics into local government for an edge in the upcoming election. It’ll backfire, because these clowns clearly don’t know who lives here.
I am a progressive liberal, but I condemn in the strongest terms Hamas as a terrorist organization. What Hamas did in Israel was an unconscionable act of terror. Terror was what Hamas wanted and terror is what they got. It’s what they do. Hamas is an organized crime syndicate with theocratic leanings. Hamas wrested control of Gaza through terror. For 17 years Hamas has used Gaza as their criminal haven to terrorize Israel while amassing fortunes in the process. Hamas has turned Gaza into a terrorist city/state for their own profit. Now should any Palestinian speak out against Hamas they are killed. I shudder at the thought of a block by bloody block uprooting of Hamas elements in Gaza by Israeli troops. The violence that innocent Palestinians will suffer is appalling. I favor a more surgical approach. I know for certain that Hamas leadership is no longer in Gaza. They are in a nearby country–I’ve heard Qatar–enjoying the terror they have wrought and anticipating the anti-Israeli sentiment that the death and suffering of thousands of Palestinians will engender. I do not know where exactly the Hamas leadership hides. But the Mossad does. May I suggest that Israel, with the support of the U.S., reach out and touch Hamas leadership sometime soon?
It doesn’t seem like the four progressive liberals, (nee socialists) have the same feelings of the situation as you do. I agree 100% of your feelings about Hamas and wished the socialists on City Council had your wisdom about Hamas. They seem to see only Palestinians. But, these Palestinians have let Hamas lead them for 17 years.
We citizens of Aurora have the opportunity to vote out of office both Marcano and Coombs in the next three or four weeks. Neither deserves to be Aurora leaders in the future with their trains of thought. Their socialistic side is showing up now before our vote.
Did you not watch the meeting or read the article? You appear to be living in an alternate reality.
Ah, now the truth comes out. This isn’t a disagreement over who is right or wrong in the Israel/Hamas war at all! It is a (not very well disguised) political ad. Calling liberals socialists all the time is just plain wrong. I haven’t heard any liberals calling Republicans fascists! So stop with the ignorant and childish name calling already. Please.
thanks for your comments Holly. I totally agree with you!
I’m thinking that neither the Israeli government nor Hamas, nor anyone else anywhere on the planet gives a rat’s a** about the latest violence in Israel. What a bunch of showboats and kudos to my councilwoman, Ms. Murillo, for attempting to be the adult in the room.
Thank you Allison Coombs for your bravery and moral resolve. Thank you.
Exactly! Council wants to virtue signal on issues beyond their keen and their jurisdiction. They need to focus on local issues, not divisive national issues. As an aside, I am willing to bet substantial staff time in both the Communications Department and City Attorney’s Office was spent (wasted) on this resolution.
How many city staff members had to sit through this discussion, such a waste of time. How many will have to sit through it again at the regular meeting of city council?