by
Hamtramck City Hall (Deadline Detroit photo)
The Hamtramck City Council Tuesday night unanimously passed a pro-Palestinian resolution, BDS, which calls for the boycott and divestment of Israel, which has been fighting a war in Gaza since October. BDS is an anti-Israel movement that stands for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions.
The council, believed to be the only all-Muslim city council in the nation, said it hopes to send a message of support for the Palestinian people and what they see as Israel's push for genocide. The city is majority Muslim, and has a large Yemeni and Bangladeshi population.
"The BDS movement is a Palestinian nonviolent movement calling upon international civil society organizations, governments, and all people of conscience to engage in boycotts and divestment initiatives against apartheid Israel and those companies that participate in Israel’s crimes, until Israel complies with international law and universal principles of human rights," stated a press release issued by Bill Meyer, a Hamtramck resident and chair of the Michigan Peace Council.
In March, the city renamed Holbrook Avenue "Palestine Avenue" in solidarity with the Palestinians.
The war began after Oct. 7 when Hamas invaded southern Israel and killed about 1,200 people and took more than 200 hostages back to Gaza. Hamas was also accused of raping women and burning babies.
Israel has been under harsh and intense criticism from around the world, with some countries accusing it of genocide. The Palestinian Health Ministry says more than 34,000 people in Gaza have been killed since the start of the war. The numbers do not distinguish between civilians and Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters.
Both sides have been locked in a stalemate over attempts to reach a cease fire and return of hostages, some of whom are Americans.
