Five Houston City Council members support a ceasefire
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Pro-Palestinian organizers protest at City Hall in December. Photo: Shafaq Patel/Axios
Five Houston City Council members have voiced their support for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Why it matters: Local Pro-Palestinian activists have been protesting in the streets and attending Houston City Council's weekly public comment sessions for months, demanding for a city resolution calling for a ceasefire and a divestment of all future financial ties with Israel.
- As Israel prepares for a possible ground assault in Rafah, where an estimated 1.4 million Palestinians are sheltering, the Houston-based organizers have continued to push for the city to take a stance and to keep the attention on what's happening in Gaza.
Driving the news: Earlier this week, council members Joaquin Martinez and Edward Pollard released statements calling for a ceasefire, joining council members Tiffany Thomas and Letitia Plummer, who showed their support last year. There are 16 City Council members.
- Plus: In a video posted on Instagram, council member Carolyn Evans-Shabazz seems to say, "I certainly support the ceasefire," to a member of Houstonians for Palestinian Liberation at a town hall Monday. Evans-Shabazz confirmed her support with Axios.
Details: "I stand with all individuals advocating for peace and the cessation of violence. It is through our collective calls for action and dialogue that we can hope to influence positive change," Evans-Shabazz said in a statement to Axios.
- In December, Thomas told activists at City Council, "We have very limited ability to address what's happening at the federal government, but your presence here today is duly noted and is necessary, and don't keep your foot off the gas."
Zoom out: At least 48 U.S. cities have passed symbolic resolutions calling for a ceasefire, including Chicago, Minneapolis and Detroit, per a Reuters analysis.
- Yes, but: No cities in Texas have passed such a resolution.
The big picture: In a PBS Newshour report on how protestors are pressuring city councils across the U.S., Dean Preston, a local elected official in San Francisco, said, "They can't get two minutes in front of the Congress. They can come to their local city council, and that's why they're doing it."
The other side: Then-state Sen. John Whitmire and council members Abbie Kamin and Amy Peck attended an event at Congregation Beth Yeshurun after Hamas' Oct. 7 attacks.
- Whitmire, now Houston's mayor, supported the Texas Senate resolution that backed Israel last year and said he looked forward to leading a delegation to Israel as mayor, according to Houston Landing.
- The mayor's office declined Axios' request for comment.
What they're saying: "Ultimately, a ceasefire resolution does two things: It builds awareness and solidarity of cities across the country in solidarity with Palestine. The second aspect of it is it allows us to continue disrupting elected officials until they prioritize what their constituency prioritizes," Nishu Dada, with Houstonians for Palestinian Liberation, tells Axios.
Of note: Houston has one of the largest Palestinian populations in the U.S., per Zip Atlas.
What we're watching: After Proposition A passed last fall, three or more council members can now add items to City Council's weekly agenda, a power previously wielded exclusively by the mayor.
- This means council members in support of a ceasefire could force a vote on the issue.