KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Knoxville City Council met Tuesday evening to discuss a new proposal focused on the ongoing Israel-Gaza Crisis. It failed for lack of a second amid a fiery and jarring city council meeting where several people were left out of the meeting room.
The proposal followed one in November 2023 which led to a contentious and passionate city council meeting. That proposal, which would have effectively lent symbolic support to Palestinians and Gazans impacted by violence in the region, failed after it was not seconded.
The new proposal, also requested by Councilmember Amelia Parker, would have supported an international ruling in January that calls for Israel to take measures to prevent genocide in Gaza. South Africa previously said Israel had "irreparable prejudice" against Palestinians and accused it of genocide.
Immediately after the proposal failed, a small crowd approached the podium wearing Palestinian keffiyehs. Other attendees flew Israeli flags behind them.
"This is who won tonight — the fascists," said one person wearing keffiyehs.
Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon said that person was not allowed at the podium. However, another person wearing a keffiyeh continued speaking, with a Palestinian flag behind him.
"You started this, Indya. We will never forget," he said. "We hold you accountable."
The meeting then went into recess to chants of "ceasefire now."
Several people were kept outside of the meeting room on Tuesday, and shouts were heard periodically during the meeting from outside demanding they be let in. A person supporting the resolution said more than 100 were kept outside the room. Kincannon said the balcony was closed due to safety concerns.
Several people also formally spoke out against the resolution, and in support of it, from the podium. Shouts were heard from behind the speakers as they spoke.
"The City of Knoxville does not have a foreign policy and doesn't have foreign policy expertise. So overall, this isn't a matter of business for Knoxville City Council to be spending its time on," said Judith Rosenberg, the president of the Knoxville Jewish Alliance. It
The alliance oversees a local affiliate of the Jewish Federations of North America, a group that lobbies for federal funds to Jewish communities and a partner of the Israeli government.
Another person spoke in support of the resolution, and at the podium invited the Knoxville Jewish Alliance to speak with him about the crisis.
"This resolution does not call for supporting Hamas. It's not calling you to make a statement on Hamas or anything like that. It's asking you to please show us that you uphold the value of civilian lives, and you care about the fact that our government is complicit, and supporting, the murder of so many people," said Abdalla Husain. "This is not the America I learned about growing up, the America that I would love to be proud of and to tell my family I'm so proud of."
Parker said in November, she received feedback saying the previous resolution went too far. So, she said she wanted to write a new resolution that did not have language such as "we stand with Palestine," and neither had the word, "ceasefire."
"It is important when we have elected officials who are making such statements about the use of U.S. tax dollars, the use of U.S. weapons, it is important that we speak up. When I wrote the resolution, I did want it to be inclusive, and that's why I reached out to the Knoxville Jewish Alliance," she said. "My email was not well received, but I did follow up and asked if we could meet."
She said she is open to a dialogue with Jewish leaders in Knoxville. She also said the resolution was meant to say that regardless of personal beliefs, Knoxville was committed to the justice system.
Immediately after speaking, shouts were heard from attendees condemning her and her resolution.
Tommy Smith then spoke.
"Knoxville residents with family members in the Gaza area are in genuine pain," he said. "Knoxville is responsible for legislation and oversight of Knoxville. The scale of human suffering in this awful war is hard to fathom, but it's not our responsibility to place our judgment on foreign wars or injustices. Our moral compass is not supreme."
Details on the resolution
The proposal would have supported an international ruling in January that calls for Israel to take measures to prevent genocide in Gaza. South Africa previously said Israel had "irreparable prejudice" against Palestinians and accused it of genocide.
On Jan. 26, the International Court of Justice ruled alongside South Africa's complaint and urged Israel to take steps to protect the lives of Palestinians under the Genocide Convention.
More directly, the proposal in Knoxville would have called for an end to violence in the Israel-Gaza Crisis and urged federal lawmakers from East Tennessee to take steps to protect Palestinian lives.
"The Knoxville City Council believes all life is precious and unequivocally condemns the targeting and killing of Palestinian and Israeli civilians. We join with over 60 other localities in calling for a cessation of violence because what happens internationally impacts our constituents locally. We believe in the shared humanity of all people and affirm it as a common value held by Knoxville residents and leaders," the proposal said.
A copy of the resolution would have been sent to President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN), and Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN).
The proposal was similar to ones passed in other cities, such as one in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, which calls for a ceasefire in the crisis. Leaders in St. Louis, Missouri, also considered a similar resolution calling for a ceasefire, along with leaders in Greensboro, North Carolina.
"Many Knoxville residents, including those who fear for their loved ones in the area, have unequivocally expressed their desire to end this violence and demand immediate U.S. action to secure a permanent ceasefire and prevent a genocide. We therefore join with cities across the United States in calling on our federal government to act in accordance with the January 26, 2024 provisional measures of the International Court of Justice," the resolution said.
The resolution from November echoed similar sentiments, but could not find a "second" on the council, so no vote was taken. It came after activists dressed in black during a Nov. 14 meeting and distributed photos of people killed in the war. That group also called for city council to pass a resolution supporting a ceasefire and to issue a statement vowing to refuse any contracts or training with Israel.
Activists also pointed to a March 2023 trip Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon took to Jerusalem in their push to pass the November 2023 resolution. It was part of a program that brought a delegation of U.S. leaders to Israel named "Project Interchange." The American Jewish Committee previously said in a press release that the program is meant to give U.S. mayors a first-hand understanding of Israel's government and technologies.
As part of the program, the delegation of mayors was also brought to Ramallah, a Palestinian city in The West Bank. They also visited Tel Aviv and the border with Lebanon and Gaza.
The Knoxville Jewish Alliance is a community group that operates community centers and early education programs, as well as an extensive offering of programs. It also oversees a local affiliate of the Jewish Federations of North America, a group that lobbies for federal funds to Jewish communities and a partner of the Israeli government. It attended the November 2023 meeting and representatives spoke against the proposal.
"As a son, and a grandson of a proud Zionist, and myself a proud Zionist, I say to you, 'Enough is enough.' Anti-Zionism is anti-semitism, full stop," said Bryan Goldberg at the meeting, the former president of the KJA. "I have received absolutely nothing but unabashed outrage and deep sadness over the mere prospect of this resolution from my community. My community is hurt by this resolution."
It is not common for city council leaders to pass resolutions on international conflicts or national issues. In September 2022, the Knoxville City Council approved a resolution urging state lawmakers to decriminalize abortion treatments. That resolution was requested by most council members.
The last time the city council passed a resolution weighing in on an international conflict was in 2003, following the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Before then, it passed a resolution in 2001 following the 9/11 attacks.
The March 2024 proposal also followed some recent demonstrations in Knoxville showing support for Palestine. On March 1, hundreds of protestors lined Gay Street to call for a ceasefire. An East Tennessee man also traveled to the region with water purifiers to help make sure refugees could have clean water.
Background on the crisis
The death toll from the Israel-Gaza crisis has climbed increasingly higher after around five months of the fray. At least 30,000 people have been killed, mostly Palestinians.
The fighting started on Oct. 7, 2023, after Hamas, a militant group in Gaza, bombed an area of Israel and killed around 1,200 people. The bombing followed decades of tension, during which time the Human Rights Watch said Gazans lived in an "open-air prison."
Most of the tension centers around Palestine and Gaza, an area that was divided as part of the "Nakba" — a period of displacements in the region following World War II as Israel was created.
"It remains a deeply traumatic event in their collective memory and continues to shape their struggle for justice and for their right to return to their homes," the UN said about the Nakba.
Hamas was elected to power during the mid-2000s. The United Nations said in 2019 more than half of all people in Gaza were under 18 years old, indicating they were not able to vote for Hamas when Israel declared war.
The group launched the attack on the anniversary of the Yom Kippur War — causing an initial death toll that was unseen since the 1973 war between Israel, Egypt and Syria. The day after the Oct. 7 bombing, Israel declared war against Hamas and started bombarding Gaza.
The Gaza Strip was home to millions of people. The UN said more than 70% of all housing units have been destroyed, and around 80% have been destroyed in the northern area. Around 300,000 people remain in northern Gaza, where famine is becoming an increasingly worrisome concern, the UN said. A UN Special Rapporteur for food also said Israel "has mounted a starvation campaign."
Around 1.4 million people are living "in abysmal conditions" as they flee south to the Rafah area, the UN said. It also said at least 30,000 people, most of whom are Palestinian, have been killed in the crisis.
Around 100 people were recently shot and killed, and several hundred were wounded, by Israeli forces as they tried to get flour from aid trucks, the UN said.
"The United Nations and all its agencies continue to call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip – as well as safe, unhindered and sustained humanitarian access – to save the remaining population and avert a major famine. It has also called for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups. So far, these calls have fallen on deaf ears," the UN said.
President Joe Biden announced a plan during his State of the Union Address for the U.S. military to establish a temporary port on the Gaza coast, hoping to increase the flow of humanitarian aid. The U.S. has also continued to send military aid to Israel in the months following the start of the crisis.
"So again, we continue to support Israel’s campaign to ensure that the attacks of Oct. 7 cannot be repeated. We have provided military assistance to Israel because it is consistent with that goal. Hamas continues – the leadership of Hamas, that planned and plotted Oct. 7, continue to be at large inside Gaza. They continue to pose a threat to innocent civilians inside Israel. They would relaunch the attacks of Oct. 7 today, tomorrow, if they had the capability to do so. So we support Israel’s legitimate military campaign consistent with international humanitarian law, and that’s why we continue to support them militarily," said spokesperson Matthew Miller at a press briefing on March 4.
The resolution in Knoxville said before the attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, around 500 trucks entered Gaza every day carrying food, water, animal fodder, fuel and medical supplies. Now, it said around 105 trucks are allowed to deliver aid to Gaza.
It also said around 66% of American voters support a ceasefire, citing data from Data For Progress.
In early March, Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN) was filmed telling activists that he would never support Palestinian people, indicating he would not call for an end to the violence.
"Let me make it clear — Israel is our ally, will always be our ally, and they are not genocide, and I will support Israel forever," he said in the video. "I will tell you to your face: Goodbye to Palestine.'"