We are the Beacon Ceasefire Coalition, a diverse group of local individuals who are united in our support of an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. We celebrate that on March 4th, 2024, the Beacon City Council voted to pass a resolution calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. As our work for a safe and free Palestine continues, we would like to introduce ourselves, and to share more about why this resolution is important to us.
The Beacon Ceasefire Coalition is a diverse, multicultural, and multi-ethnic group of individuals from Beacon and the greater Hudson Valley. We are Palestinian, Arab, Indigenous, Black, Asian, and white. We are Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Sikh, spiritual, non-religious, and atheist. We are 3rd generation Beaconites and recent transplants. We are LGBTQIA+. We are disabled. We are parents and grandparents, mentors and caregivers. We are students and professionals, business owners and day laborers.
Our beliefs are as varied and complex as our different identities, yet what unites us is the shared conviction that Israel’s war on Gaza since the Oct 7th attacks is unjust, inhumane, and must stop immediately. Our coalition’s common goal is to do everything in our power to end the death and destruction currently happening in Gaza.
Since the October 7th attacks, Israel has bombed, shelled, sniped and otherwise attacked Palestinian civilians and their way of life in Gaza. Israel has destroyed Palestinian homes, religious buildings and institutions, schools and universities, roads, bridges, desalination plants, bakeries and all other infrastructure. In addition, since Israel controls the borders of Gaza by land, sea and air, it has stopped food, water, fuel, medicine, humanitarian supplies and other aid from entering Gaza.
Currently every person in Gaza suffers from food insecurity, and people in the north of Gaza are already experiencing famine. The number of Palestinians who have been killed (over 37,000), injured (estimated over 100,000), and displaced (1.9 million) as of June 2024 horrifies us, and our work is in their honor.
We condemn the carpet bombing of Gaza, the forced displacement of its people, their forced starvation and blockade of food, water, medicine, electricity, and humanitarian aid, the constant shelling and targeting of civilians, and the humiliation and abuse of their abandoned homes by IOF. Most importantly, we believe there must be an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the establishment of safety and security of all Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem, and the right of Palestinians to return to their homes in Gaza. It will take action on the world stage, including the cessation of military and financial support from Israel’s many allies, to stop and sanction Israel’s war on Gaza.
We see our coalition’s work as twofold: to send a local message to our national leaders that they have a moral and professional imperative to act, and to build a community and solidarity with those locally impacted by the violence in Gaza.
In January, our coalition began working with the community in Beacon and our City Council members to draft a concise resolution that would send a strong message to our electeds that the people of Beacon want the United States to stop funding Israel’s war on Gaza. We are appalled that Beacon alone contributes an estimated $200,000+ in taxpayer revenue to arming Israel. In working towards this resolution, many of us testified at City Council meetings, sharing how our personal experiences led us to the shared goal of an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
While this process built solidarity and community, we also endured injustice as a result. During public comment at City Hall many citizens who spoke against the resolution were permitted to use dangerously racist, violent, Islamophobic and xenophobic rhetoric. In contrast, several times, the Mayor called out our group’s impassioned speeches as violent or inappropriate even though our group was following the Council’s guidelines. The unfair treatment was jarring, and through this process, we were given a window into the Palestinian experience of invisibility and degradation.
Our goal since the beginning of this effort has been to work towards an immediate and permanent ceasefire, with the right of Palestinians to return to their homes in Gaza. We do not value one people over another, nor are we advocating for a particular solution to the Israel/Palestine issue. We utilized the democratic process towards passing a resolution with the Beacon City Council – and together we made it happen. We are grateful that the majority of the Council met the moment and voted for the resolution. We see Beacon’s ceasefire resolution as an expression of our community’s conviction that people everywhere from the Levant to the Hudson Valley have the right to live in peace, safety, and security. Together, we will continue our work for Palestinian liberation.
