Salt Lake City Council approves Israel-Hamas resolution
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The Salt Lake City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a symbolic resolution calling for peace as the Israel-Hamas war unfolds.
What they're saying: "The Salt Lake City Council and mayor of Salt Lake City expresses a deep concern for the terrible loss of life and calls for peace at home and abroad," the joint resolution states.
- The resolution condemned "the rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia" and advocated for increased hate-crime legislation to protect Muslim, Jewish, Christian and other religious and ethnic communities.
Between the lines: Salt Lake City Council members deliberated for weeks on whether to introduce a resolution on the war amid mounting pressure from pro-Palestinian demonstrators calling for a ceasefire, Axios has learned.
- Members worked through the Presidents Day weekend to tweak the resolution in time for Tuesday's council meeting.
The other side: Several pro-Palestinian protesters appeared at the city council meeting to call for a ceasefire resolution.
- En Canada, a Salt Lake City resident who led the push for a ceasefire resolution from the council, said the statement didn't go far enough to address the more than 29,000 Palestinians reportedly killed since the start of the war.
The big picture: Approximately 70 U.S. cities have passed ceasefire proclamations as municipal leaders debate whether to weigh in on the international conflict, per Reuters.
- Chicago in January became the largest U.S. city to pass a ceasefire resolution after several debates and delays.
- Minneapolis overrode a mayoral veto and approved language supporting a ceasefire in Gaza.
- Denver last week rejected a formal statement calling for an end to the violence.
By the numbers: 50% of U.S. adults polled in January believe that Israel's military response in Gaza has "gone too far," per an AP/Norc poll released this month, Axios' Ivana Saric reports.