Frey vetoes Minneapolis City Council’s Israel-Hamas resolution

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on Wednesday vetoed a City Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and an end to U.S. military funding for Israel, the latest skirmish between city leaders over a symbolic measure.

After the veto, Frey told reporters that the resolution “misses the mark” and is “one-sided” in addressing the overlapping histories of Palestinians and Israeli Jews.

“The resolution you approved uplifts the history of Palestinians, and all but erases that of Israeli Jews,” Frey wrote in his veto letter. “Including some people’s history as valid, truthful and righteous as it may be, while ignoring others, is neither progressive nor inclusive. That’s not in keeping with the Minneapolis I know and love.”

The mayor added at the news conference that he supports a ceasefire and opposes the continued bombing by Israel in Gaza. He said he supports Israel but is “all for critique” of the Israeli government and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“Let me get rid of any ambiguity whatsoever: I support a ceasefire; I support a return of hostages; I support a two-state solution and I support a vision for a sovereign Palestine and a sovereign Israel,” Frey said.

The symbolic resolution was approved Jan. 25 by nine of the 13 council members — enough to override a veto. The council is expected to take up an override vote next week.

Frey said he is open to signing a “truly unifying ceasefire resolution,” but noted his office has not drafted its own version yet. He told reporters the veto was “not an easy decision” and that he made it after listening to “people in my family, my extended Jewish community, and people throughout the city.”

Wednesday’s development amps up attention on passionate city divisions on the war. It started Oct. 7 when Hamas fighters invaded Israel, which responded with a bombing campaign and invasion of Gaza of such fury that the International Court of Justice warned Israel to take immediate steps to prevent acts of genocide.

The resolution was supported by a number of Palestinian-rights and Islamic groups, including the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, several progressive groups pushing for boycotts and disinvestment from Israel and at least one Jewish group highly critical of Israel’s policy toward Palestine. It was opposed by several prominent Jewish groups, including the Minnesota Rabbinical Association. The four council members who voted against the resolution or abstained, as well as Frey, said they feared that the City Council’s focus on a contentious resolution would inflame local tensions.

Those tensions are reflected in the backgrounds of the city’s elected officials. Frey is Jewish; the City Council’s four Muslims — Council Vice President Aisha Chughtai and Council Members Jeremiah Ellison, Jamal Osman and Aurin Chowdhury — all supported the resolution.

Frey and several council members opposed to the resolution said they could support a call for a ceasefire if it stopped short of ending U.S. military aid to Israel. A last-minute attempt to substitute that more neutral language failed.

Supporters said the resolution’s strong wording — it noted the mounting death toll in Gaza and South Africa’s accusation of genocide against Israel — was necessary based on the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

After the veto was announced Wednesday, Chughtai said: “I’m proud of the supermajority of my colleagues on the City Council who approved a factual resolution responsive to hundreds of Minneapolis residents. As I’ve said before, the defense of humanity is a shared project — one that each of us has a role in.”