Sacramento is my home. It is where I raised my children, built my career as a civil rights leader and won election to public office to serve the people. But I never once forgot about where my family comes from and where many of my relatives still live: Gaza.
As someone who has suffered the consequences of the ongoing crisis in Gaza, I implore our political leaders in Sacramento to act. A resolution calling for a ceasefire is essential, as it will apply pressure on our federal leaders to act quickly to save innocent lives. Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg was wrong to prevent a necessary debate about a council-generated resolution. This is very much a local issue, and this is no time for the mayor to silence those he disagrees with.
For me and so many other Palestinian-Americans, Gaza is not the site of a distant crisis. Gaza hits home, right here in Sacramento. So far, 74 of my family members — yes, 74 — have been killed in the Israeli government’s attacks on Gaza. Dozens more are missing.
Opinion
The number of my family members who have been killed in recent attacks does not include relatives who have died as a result of the Israeli government’s medieval siege on medical supplies and attacks on hospitals. Deprived of essential medical supplies, my cousin, Nour, died of thyroid cancer, leaving behind three children under the age of seven.
For my surviving family members, daily life in Gaza is a desperate struggle to stay alive. They struggle for basic necessities — food, water, healthcare and basic hygiene supplies, such as menstrual pads and diapers, are scarce.
What my family has suffered is not unique.
The Israeli government has killed over 26,000 Palestinians in just four months. Over 12,000 of the victims have been children, 64,487 have been wounded and at least 7,000 bodies remain trapped under the rubble across Gaza, where at least 40% of homes have been destroyed.
The conflict has also ravaged our cultural heritage, with over 200 of our 325 heritage sites destroyed. Our elders, the keepers of our oral history, are succumbing to the harsh conditions, leading to a cultural void.
The international concern about the potential of war crimes, including genocide, is real. The concern is fueled by statements and actions coming directly from Israeli leadership. The Israeli president declared that there are “no innocent civilians in Gaza.” The Israeli defense minister justified cutting off food and water to Gazans by calling them “human animals.” And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu justified the war on Gaza by referencing an ancient biblical story about the mass slaughter of every man, woman, infant and ox in Amalek.
To make matters worse, these Israeli leaders have spent four months attacking civilians in Gaza with the support of the Biden administration. The Israeli government could not commit these crimes without American financial, diplomatic and military support. As Americans, all of us — especially our local elected officials — have an obligation to call on President Biden to stop this war on the people of Gaza.
Calling for a ceasefire is not a political gesture. It is a necessary humanitarian intervention and the first step toward ending the horrific violence and securing the release of hostages in Gaza and political prisoners in Israel. Only then can we start to take the steps necessary to achieve a just and lasting peace.
The ceasefire resolution submitted by Sacramento City Councilmembers Mai Vang and Katie Valenzuela is supported by members of local Palestinian and Jewish communities who care about peace and justice. But Steinberg refuses to place it on a council agenda. He should reconsider.
It’s time for our elected leaders to listen to the majority of our country who wants the violence to end. Sacramento, all eyes are on us. Sending a message of peace today will save lives.
Basim Elkarra is the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations for the Sacramento Valley/Central California region and a Twin Rivers Unified School District Board Trustee.
