JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville City Council members are standing firm in their support of Israel against Hamas after passing a resolution Tuesday night by a nearly unanimous vote.
Councilman Nick Howland, a Navy veteran, introduced the resolution, which was voted 16 to 1, in support of Israel.
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“It’s pretty horrific news coming out of the Middle East. And I felt it was important, particularly with the fact that Congress doesn’t have a speaker right now, and State House is not in session for us as a legislative body to show our support for Israel and its right to defend itself against the terrorist group of Hamas,” Howland said.
The sole council member not to vote in favor of the resolution was Dr. Ron Salem, the council president who is of Palestinian descent.
During the meeting, Salem did not speak about why he voted “no,” and he has also declined to comment to News4JAX.
Jacksonville has a large population of Palestinian Americans, and Howland said this resolution is not against them. He also said this is not about the history of conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
“The resolution then clearly says we mourn the loss of lives. And we support Israel, and its right to defend itself against a terrorist group Hamas.” Howland said.
News4JAX political analyst Rick Mullaney, director of JU’s Public Policy Institute, believes the bipartisan resolution is appropriate.
“Hamas has committed one of the great atrocities in history, one of the greatest terrorist attacks in history,” Mullaney said.
Mullaney said there should be a clear distinction between Palestinians and Hamas. This resolution is against Hamas, not Palestinians.
“They are a beloved people. They are respected. They’re supported here in Jacksonville. Hamas is not. Hamas is a terrorist organization. Sometimes, unfortunately, in this country, we conflate the two. They should be not. There’s a great deal of support for the Palestinians. There is no support for Hamas,” Mullaney said.
The council made a similar resolution supporting Ukraine after the Russian invasion.