Red Lake Nation (in Minnesota) passed a CEASEFIRE resolution on January 9, 2024

RESOLUTION NO. 04-2024

Upon a motion by Representative May and second by Secretary Strong, the following was enacted:

WHEREAS, the Red Lake Tribal Council is the duly elected governing body of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians; and the Tribal Council has the authority and the responsibility to provide for the safety, health and welfare of its members; and

WHEREAS, the Tribal Council is aware of the current military actions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip involving the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas and the Israeli government military, which has greatly intensified since October 7, 2023, and which has resulted in the loss of many lives on both sides, and which has caused the survivors on both sides to suffer untold humiliating indignities; and

WHEREAS, the Tribal Council was informed that the current state of Israel was created in 1948 from lands that were forcefully dispossessed from the Palestinian people at the behest of western powers, primarily Great Britain and the United States; and that ever since, the state of Israel has been maintained through the financial and military support of western states, primarily the United States; and

WHEREAS, the Tribal Council was informed that throughout the history of "the Palestinian-Israeli conflict," the United States has consistently maintained pro-Israel policies, and has completely disregarded the fundamental rights of thePalestinian people; and

WHEREAS, the Tribal Council was informed that so far in the current war the United States has fully supported the actions of the Israeli military against the Palestinians, despite the fact that the Israeli military actions have been extreme, and have caused the deaths of countless civilians and the merciless destruction of virtually all Palestinian property; and

WHEREAS, the Tribal Council was informed that the current disregard for the life and well-being of the Palestinian people is evident in the United States' decision to get directly involved in the unfolding conflict by financing it, arming the Israeli military, vetoing any United Nations Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire, and even sending aircraft carriers to the region in support of the Israelis; and

WHEREAS, the Tribal Council was informed that the United States has fully embraced Israel's genocidal aggression which has been carried out primarily on Gaza, and has approved of the complete blockade that has cut of electricity, water, food, and medicine, and has justified the daily slaughter of countless Palestinian civilians; and

WHEREAS, the Tribal Council was informed of the parallels between "the Palestinian-Israeli conflict" and the plight of Native Americans at the hands of the United States, which began as soon as Columbus landed on Native lands in 1492, and which has continued in one form or another ever since; and

WHEREAS, like the fledgling American government that marked Natives as uncivilized so that their rights to their lands could be undermined, the Israelis similarly deny political rights to the Palestinians, which directly undermines their rights over Palestinian lands; and

WHEREAS, the Tribal Council recognizes that the colonialism, occupation, and apartheid practices now being imposed on the Palestinians as having similarities to the practices that the colonists imposed on Natives in America from the time of first contact through the present; and the Tribal Council further recognizes that such practices are contrary to the stated standards of international law; and

WHEREAS, the Tribal Council was reminded that the apartheid regime in South Africa refused to recognize the clear directives of international law until the international community intervened and imposed sanctions against it and boycotted it; and that similarly the Israeli government is not likely to recognize the clear mandates of international law until the international community intervenes and imposes sanctions against Israel. Now

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the Red Lake Tribal Council calls on the Israeli government to implement a cease fire, and withdraw its troops from the West Bank and Gaza Strip; and that the Israeli government revoke all laws discriminating against the native Palestinian population; and that the Israeli government implement United Nations Resolution 194, which allows for the return of Palestinian refugees; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Red Lake Tribal Council calls on the President of the United States and the Congress to cease the funding and military support of the Israeli government's genocidal actions against the Palestinians; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, the Red Lake Tribal Council calls on the international community to support the dismantling of the racist two-state solution imposed by Israel on the Palestinians, and pave the way for a secular democratic state on the historic land of Palestine that gives equality to all its citizens, regardless of religion, ethnicity, and gender.

We do hereby certifythat the foregoing resolution was duly presented and enacted at the Regular Meeting of the Tribal Council held on Tuesday, January 9, 2024, with a quorum present, at the Tribal/Council Chambers at the Red Lake Nation Headquarters, Red Lake.