Washington State Democratic Party’s CEASEFIRE resolution passed on January 28, 2024 (additional, later resolutions are below)
URGENT RESOLUTION In Support of Continued US Funding of the UN Agency Providing Relief to 1.9 Million Palestinians and a Ceasefire in Gaza to Ease Civilian Suffering
WHEREAS in response to the attack by Hamas on October 7th 2023, the Israeli military has imposed a siege on the Gaza Strip, depriving 2.3 million Palestinians of water, food, shelter, electricity, fuel, access to medical care, transportation and Internet. In the more than one hundred days since, armed violence has claimed the lives of at least 26,000 Palestinians in Gaza (approximately two-thirds of whom are women and children), 347 in the West Bank, and over 1,200 people in Israel, with tens of thousands more wounded resulting in 1.9 million internally displaced people;
WHEREAS the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) is the primary UN agency providing humanitarian aid in Palestine and is funded by the US and other UN member states. UNRWA employs 1,300+ staff on the ground in Palestine, tasked with administering aid to the 1.9 million displaced people (a majority sheltering at UNRWA facilities);
WHEREAS UNRWA shelters have been routinely targeted by direct fire, including a multi-day siege beginning on January 24, 2024 of UNRWA Khan Younis Training College which houses 43,000 internally displaced people killing at least 13 and injuring 56. Since the beginning of the war, 357 people sheltering in UNRWA facilities across the region have been killed, 253 incidents impacting UNRWA premises and people inside have been reported, and 70 different UNRWA installations were directly hit, and 71 installations sustained collateral damage;
WHEREAS despite enduring over 150+ casualties among UNRWA staff, as of January 25, 2024, the agency has persevered and distributed flour to 309,779 families, vaccinated over 13,700 children against diseases such as measles, mumps and rubella, recorded 9,336 patient visits at UNRWA health facilities, and attended to 76,869 patients by UNRWA teams who continue to provide psychosocial first aid and other specialized protection services.
WHEREAS on January 25, 2024 the US announced it is suspending funding to UNRWA due to allegations made against agency staff. The UN immediately terminated 12 individuals and is taking the allegations seriously, but the US suspending UNRWA funding has led to further loss of funding from allies including but not limited to the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and Italy now leaving millions at further risk in the greatest humanitarian catastrophe of the past decade.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Washington State Democratic Central Committee condemns both the attack on October 7,2023 by Hamas, the Israeli military’s disproportionate response on the 2.3 million Palestinian people living in Gaza (nearly half of whom are children), and urgently opposes the US pulling funding from UNRWA, the UN agency tasked with supporting over 1.9 million Gazan internally displaced people.
THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the Washington State Democratic Central Committee values all human life as precious, views the targeting of civilians, no matter their faith or ethnicity as a violation of humanitarian law. The Washington Democratic Party supports a ceasefire to immediately ease the suffering of 1.9 displaced people being cared for by the UNRWA, and strongly urges the US Government to continue funding the UNRWA as it works to provide long-term support on the ground in the region.
THEREFORE BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the Washington State Democratic Central Committee affirms our commitment to combat antisemitism, Islamophobia, and anti-Palestinian/anti-Arab bigotry, our support for the people of both Israel and Palestine to live in peace and security, and the rights of all people to live, learn, work, play, pray and engage in peaceful protests without threats, intimidation, violence, or death.
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Press Release:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 2, 2024
Joint effort between Jewish and Palestinian Organizers and their allies leads to the
Washington State Democratic Central Committee passing a CEASEFIRE resolution
On Sunday, January 28, 2024, the Washington State Democratic Central Committee (WSDCC or Washington State Democrats) passed a resolution supporting a ceasefire related to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. They are the 5th state Democratic organization to pass a ceasefire-related resolution in recent months.
The resolution, which passed by a 75-54 vote, condemns the attack by Hamas on October 7th that killed more than 1,200 in Israel. It also condemns Israel’s siege on Gaza that has killed more than 26,000 Palestinians and deprived a further 2.3 million of water, food, shelter, electricity, fuel, and access to medical care, as well as the killing of 347 Palestinians in the West Bank and the displacement of 1.9 million Palestinians in Gaza.
The resolution also addresses the importance of supporting and funding the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). Since the beginning of the siege on Gaza, UNRWA has distributed flour to 309,779 Palestinian families, attended to 76,869 medical patients, and provided 13,700 vaccines to Palestinian children. During that time, UNRWA had more than 150 staff killed, while their facilities experienced 253 unique incidents of targeted military violence (including 70 direct hits). The United States suspended funding to UNRWA on January 25th, 2024.
In addition, this resolution condemns the recent rise in antisemitism, Islamophobia, and anti-Palestinian/anti-Arab bigotry. Full text can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zT0W-wX8l7kVcmtv_0Dhm5C4zeME7dj_BJfoaCp3hXQ/edit?usp=sharing.
The Washington State Democrats’ ceasefire resolution was built out of work done by a coalition of Democrats from around the state, including Jewish members of the State Party Central Committee, a Palestinian American elected official, members from multiple Legislative Districts, as well as Jewish and Muslim community stakeholders (and their allies), who all organized to help make this vote possible.
“We have to speak out and work to end the horrific situation in Gaza, happening in our names,” said Sharon Abreu, a Jewish member of the State Central Committee who organized in support of the resolution at the January 28 meeting. “We who come from an oppressed people have got to stand up for others being oppressed.”
In an effort to underscore the importance of not delaying a ceasefire vote, during floor debate, Jazmine Smith, a State Committee Member from the 36th LD, told her colleagues: "There are 1.9 million people that have no homes, there are 31,000 people who have lost their lives, there are children who have their limbs blown off, and we cannot wait until the next state committee meeting to take a stand.”
To ensure that arguments around the resolution were inclusive of the many Jewish voices who have been supportive of the ceasefire movement, Amy Madden, a State Committee Member from the 43rd LD, read the following statement from fellow resolution organizer Jessica Trupin, a long-time Jewish Democratic community leader: "The single goal of this resolution is to place Washington's Democratic Party squarely in line with public sentiment– that a ceasefire and a political resolution [of the conflict] is the only moral path forward. As a Jew, I cannot stand and watch another 10,000 Palestinians -including women and children- be killed in my name in the month of February. Not in my name – Palestinians deserve to live."
Other state Democratic parties that passed similar resolutions include the Texas Democratic Party, which on December 2nd, 2023 unanimously passed a resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire and release of the hostages; the Democratic Party of Hawai’i which on December 2nd called on their Congressional representatives to support the Ceasefire Now Resolution and asked for the Biden Administration to call for a ceasefire, as well; the Democratic Party of New Mexico, which on January 18, 2024 called for “a lasting negotiated ceasefire working towards a two-state solution”; and the Arizona Democratic Party, which on January 27, 2024, “recognized the equal value of Israeli and Palestinian lives” and called for the “establishment of a Palestinian state”.
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The following THREE resolutions passed at the Washington Dems State Convention on June 23, 2024:
RESOLUTION calling for an immediate de-escalation and cease-fire in Israel and occupied Palestine (*passed with 89.2% of the vote)
WHEREAS all human life is precious, and the targeting of civilians, no matter their faith or ethnicity, is a violation of international humanitarian law [1]; and
WHEREAS since October 7, 2023, armed violence has claimed the lives of over 30,000 Palestinians and over 1,000 Israelis, including Americans, and wounded thousands more; and
WHEREAS the Washington State Democratic Platform states [2]:
“The United States must work closely and persistently with other countries to prevent or stop genocide wherever it occurs”;
“Serious, full, constructive, and persistent United States engagement to promote negotiations and other actions that will lead to a peaceful, sustainable resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, based on mutual recognition and ensuring security, economic growth, and quality of life for the peoples of the sovereign state of Palestine and the sovereign state of Israel;”
“We call for the United States to honor and ratify international treaties that protect civilian populations, refugees, and human rights, address climate change and prevent genocide;
“We oppose the use of United States tax money to fund, train or sponsor military or police forces that suppress human and civil rights in foreign countries;
“We oppose the sale or provision of weapons to countries that violate human rights;”
WHEREAS the State of Israel has engaged in a sustained and unprecedented bombing campaign and siege amounting to collective punishment of civilians, resulting in displacement of over 1.7 million people [3], total breakdown of civil society services; and has bombed hospitals, churches, mosques, universities, refugee camps and homes with total disregard for civilian casualties; and cut off food, water, electricity, and fuel and has bombed infrastructure from desalination plants to solar power facilities;
WHEREAS international law forbids the intentional targeting of civilians, hostage-taking, collective punishment, forced displacement, and denying immediate humanitarian aid [4].
THEREFORE, Be It Resolved that the Washington State Democratic Convention:
Express profound sorrow for the loss of innocent lives in Gaza, Israel, and the broader region.
Call for an immediate and sustained cease fire, the provision of lifesaving humanitarian aid in Gaza and the release of all hostages.
Call on our Washington State Congressional Delegation, and the Biden Administration to do the same, to call for a cease fire, humanitarian aid, and the release of all hostages, and to seek comprehensive and peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, return Israeli hostages, Palestinian prisoners, and respect the rights of all parties;
Call for immediate cessation of all military aid to the State of Israel, until a ceasefire is declared and humanitarian aid can be established.
[1] International humanitarian law (IHL) is a set of rules that seeks, for humanitarian reasons, to limit the effects of armed conflict. It protects persons who are not, or are no longer, directly or actively participating in hostilities, and imposes limits on the means and methods of warfare. IHL is also known as "the law of war" or "the law of armed conflict". IHL is part of public international law, which is made up primarily of treaties, customary international law and general principles of law. https://www.icrc.org/en/document/what-international-humanitarian-law
[2] Washington State Democrats Platform 2022 - Foreign Policy Plank pp 27-29, chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.wa-democrats.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/2022-Washington-State-Democrats-Platform-Passed-6-25-2022.pdf
[3] https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/ihl-treaties/gciv-1949
[4] Geneva Convention of 1949, Part 2, General protection of populations against certain consequences of war. https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/ihl-treaties/gciv-1949
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Resolution on the crisis in Gaza and US actions to reduce harm to civilians and risk of genocide (*passed with 63% of the vote)
WHEREAS as a result of the US and the international community failing to stop the genocides in Rwanda and the Balkans, the “Responsibility to Protect” doctrine was adopted by all countries at the United Nations in 2005, stating that nations have “the responsibility to use appropriate diplomatic, humanitarian and other peaceful means, in accordance with Chapters VI and VIII of the Charter, to help protect populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity,” and the US has vetoed or abstained from any attempts at the UN to fulfill the mandates of the United Nations 2005 "Responsibility to Protect" doctrine and, in contravention to the Responsibility to Protect, has provided Israel with the material means to continue the acts (as noted below) prohibited in the Responsibility to Protect of “genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity;”
WHEREAS Israeli officials, shortly after the unconscionable attack by Hamas murdering and abducting hundreds of civilians on October 7, 2023, have repeatedly used language that mirrors the dehumanizing language used in Rwanda to fuel genocidal acts and indicate genocidal intent, e.g., a sitting member of Israel’s parliament calling for the ethnic cleansing of Gaza; Israeli troops filmed chanting “no uninvolved civilians”; and has enacted policies consistent with such language and indicative of collective punishment and a disregard for civilian casualties, e.g. by creating ‘kill zones” in Gaza which allow/mandate the Israeli military to shoot “anyone who crosses into them”; intentionally allowing for high civilian casualties/collateral damage by using flawed artificial-intelligence systems; targeting children; and using “starvation as a weapon of war;”
WHEREAS the United Nations International Criminal Court of Justice gave an initial near unanimous ruling on January 26, 2024 stating that “the facts and circumstances.. are sufficient to conclude that at least some of the rights claimed by South Africa and for which it is seeking protection are plausible. This is the case with respect to the right of the Palestinians in Gaza to be protected from acts of genocide and related prohibited acts identified in Article III"; and Amnesty International has described “alarming signs of genocide in Gaza;”
WHEREAS the US has continued to supply Israel with arms, including supplying in March of 2024 1,800 2,000-pound bombs which inevitably result in mass civilian casualty events, despite current and longstanding violations of The Leahy Law, Section 620(i) of the Foreign Assistance Act, the February 2023 Biden administration policy on arms transfers, and the February 2024 presidential directive conditioning US military aid on human rights, and while failing to act when notified of continuing Israeli military and police serious violations of human rights violations in the current conflict, including killings and rapes
WHEREAS April 2024 marks over 195 days of war crimes and genocidal acts perpetrated by Israel in Gaza (as noted above), with world bodies and countries not only failing to intervene, but, in the case of the United States (supplying 69%) and Germany (supplying 30%) providing 99% of the military equipment over the last few years to facilitate the above noted war crimes and genocidal acts;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Washington State Democratic Convention opposes the continuing transfer of offensive military aid to Israel until such time as: (1) past and current violations of human rights, humanitarian law, or the laws of war can be transparently and independently investigated by non-involved parties, and the parties responsible for violations held accountable via an internationally recognized legal process, (2) humanitarian organizations have certified that Israel is allowing for aid, electricity, fuel, and water to enter and reach all of Gaza, and (3) Israeli military, police, and settler attacks against the civilian population in the Palestinian territories are ended and provisions enacted to prevent future such attacks.
THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Washington State Democratic Convention reaffirms its call on January 28, 2024 for the US government to resume funding UNRWA (and now rescind all legislative prohibitions and restrictions on monies and aid to UNRWA), for a ceasefire, to combat antisemitism, Islamophobia, and anti-Palestinian/anti-Arab bigotry, and our support for the people of both Israel and Palestine to live in peace and security.
THEREFORE BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the Washington State Democratic Convention calls on the US to not interfere with any potential ICC warrants that are issued against Israeli officials and to recognize the State of Palestine at the UN, or, at a minimum, stop being the only country on the UN Security Council to vote against such recognition.
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Resolution to Reaffirm Call for a Ceasefire and Restore UNRWA funding and Call for weapons-use accountability. (*passed with 60% vote)
WHEREAS all human life is precious and the targeting of civilians, no matter their faith or ethnicity, is immoral and is in violation of international humanitarian law
Armed violence has claimed the lives of at least 34,000 [1] Palestinians (approximately 40% of whom are children) and over 1,200 Israelis, with tens of thousands more wounded
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs between 60 and 70 percent of housing units in Gaza had been destroyed or damaged [2].
WHEREAS the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) is the primary UN agency providing humanitarian aid in Palestine
UNRWA is funded by the US and other UN member states. UNRWA employs 1,300+ staff on the ground in Palestine, tasked with administering aid to the 1.9 million displaced people (a majority sheltering at UNRWA facilities).
On January 25, 2024 the US announced it is suspending funding to UNRWA due to allegations made against agency staff. The UN immediately terminated 12 individuals and is taking the allegations seriously, but the US suspending UNRWA funding has led to further loss of funding from allies including but not limited to the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and Italy now leaving millions at further risk in the greatest humanitarian catastrophe of the past decade;
WHEREAS 76% of Democrats and 61% of all likely voters “support the U.S. calling for a permanent ceasefire and a de-escalation of violence in Gaza,” [3, 4] and millions of people worldwide, including from Washington state, have joined in peaceful protests to amplify this call;
WHEREAS the United States government and our elected leaders hold immense diplomatic power to prevent the further loss of Israeli and Palestinian lives by calling for an immediate long-term ceasefire to stop the violence, the safe return of all hostages, the immediate delivery of adequate humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people to prevent the loss of hundreds of thousands more lives; yet despite this, the US has continued to supply Israel with arms including 1,800 two-thousand-pound bombs in March of 2024:
which inevitably result in mass civilian casualty events [6],
despite current and longstanding violations of The Leahy Law [7], Section 620(i) of the Foreign Assistance Act, the February 2023 Biden administration policy on arms transfers [8], and the February 2024 presidential directive conditioning US military aid on human rights [9],
and while failing to act when notified of continuing Israeli military and police serious violations of human rights violations [10] in the current conflict;
WHEREAS in the past six months, antisemitism, Islamophobia, and anti-Palestinian/anti-Arab bigotry have risen significantly in Washington State and across the United States, and around the world, with direct impacts on our local communities – from individuals to synagogues and mosques to schools, homes, offices, and places where communities gather. All of these forms of bigotry, violence, and oppression serve to divide our communities and weaken our efforts to achieve collective safety, justice, and true multi-ethnic, multi-racial democracy here and everywhere;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Washington State Democrats reaffirm our condemnation of both the attack on October 7, 2023 by Hamas, and the Israeli military’s disproportionate response on the 2.3 million Palestinian people living in Gaza (nearly half of whom are children); and reaffirm full restoration of funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA); and reaffirm our commitment to combat antisemitism, Islamophobia, and anti-Palestinian/anti-Arab bigotry, our support for the people of both Israel and Palestine, at home and abroad, to live in peace and security, and the right of all people to live, learn, work, play, pray, and engage in peaceful protest without threats, intimidation, violence, or death; and
THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Washington State Democrats call on members of the Congressional delegation in Washington to support and sign on to the “Ceasefire Now” resolution, HR 786, co-sponsored by Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, and to advocate more broadly for an immediate, permanent ceasefire and delivery of immediate and adequate humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people; and call on members of the Congressional delegation in Washington to demand full implementation of the “Leahy law”(4) when sending military assistance to Israel; and
THEREFORE BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the Washington State Democrats will issue a press release reaffirming its call for an immediate, permanent ceasefire, complete funding to United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), implementation of Leahy law, and return of hostages; and will send official letters to the Washington State Congressional Delegation, the President, and other Democratic leaders to urge them to implement policies that achieve said actions, within one week of passage of this resolution.
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/20/gaza-death-toll-passes-34000-israel-iran
[3] https://news.gallup.com/poll/642695/majority-disapprove-israeli-action-gaza.aspx
[6] https://www.cnn.com/gaza-israel-big-bombs/index.html
[10] https://www.propublica.org/article/israel-gaza-blinken-leahy-sanctions-human-rights-violations
Relevant 2022 WSDCC Platform planks:
(page 8) “All people, regardless of race, sexual orientation and gender identity, ability and class have the right to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, personal data, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures”
(page 27) “Serious, full, constructive, and persistent United States engagement to promote negotiations and other actions that will lead to a peaceful, sustainable resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, based on mutual recognition and ensuring security, economic growth, and quality of life for the peoples of the sovereign state of Palestine and the sovereign state of Israel”