After a month of debate and revisions, State College Borough Council passed a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza on Wednesday.
The third and final draft of the ceasefire resolution does not accuse either side of war crimes or breaking international law like previous drafts. It instead focuses on delivering humanitarian assistance in Gaza and the release of all hostages.
The resolution also calls for “continued open, honest, respectful, and tolerant conversation among our local community in support of our common humanity.”
How State College community members have reacted to the Hamas-Israel conflict
State College is one of many municipalities across the U.S. joining the conversation on the Hamas-Israel conflict.
Last week, the Starbucks on North Atherton Street closed after someone vandalized it, according to a StateCollege.com report. The online news outlet reported someone told them graffiti spray painted on the building read “Free Palestine” before it was cleaned up.
On Tuesday, members of the University Mennonite Church and other community members held a protest at Rep. Glenn "GT" Thompson’s Bellefonte office, calling for him to sign on to a ceasefire resolution.
Also this week, there was supposed to be a “Paper Cranes for Peace'' program at Schlow Library. That project looks to build a memorial out of paper cranes to promote peace between Palestine and Israel.
Stacy is one of the project organizers. She’s only using her first name for anonymity after angry reactions to the event.
“The library received a lot of calls of people protesting the event. And I am a huge supporter of the library and could not justify jeopardizing their reputation. And I also couldn't justify jeopardizing anybody that showed up for the event for their safety," Stacy said.
Stacy said she has new hope after the borough’s resolution calling for a ceasefire.
“I see that we're not alone," Stacy said. “It just takes courage to stand up and say what you mean. I'm standing up for the voiceless and I'm trying to be a peacemaker and offer art therapy for those in our community who are grieving.”
Stacy said each paper crane in the memorial represents a child killed in Gaza since Oct. 7. They’re aiming to make about 10,000 cranes, but she’s not sure where they’ll display them now. She said anyone who wants to help with the project can email centrecountycranesforpeace@gmail.com.
How lawmakers are responding to calls for a ceasefire
A copy of the borough's resolution will be sent to Thompson, Senators Bob Casey and John Fetterman, and President Joe Biden.
In a statement, Thompson spoke against the State College borough’s resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. He said Israel has the right to defend itself and that Hamas broke the recent ceasefire.
Thompson also said, “Acquiescing to fanatics whose mission is the destruction of Israel and the genocide of all Jews is certain to lead to more loss of life in the future.”
When asked for comment, a spokesperson for Sen. Bob Casey referred to an op-ed piece he wrote for PennLive on Oct. 29. In that op-ed, Casey said, "As one of the most steadfast supporters of the State of Israel in the U.S. Senate, I have always advocated for Israel’s right to self-defense. I have never believed that right to be more important than I do today. Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas, and it needs our support to carry out that mission."
Casey continued on to say that Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people, and that the war has created an "unprecedented humanitarian crisis in Gaza." He did not directly say if he supports or opposes a ceasefire, but said the U.S. must stand with Israel while also protecting innocent civilian lives in Gaza.
Sen. John Fetterman's office has not yet responded to a request for comment, but in an Oct. 18 post on X (formerly known as Twitter) and press release, Fetterman said "Now is not the time to talk about a ceasefire...Hamas does not want peace, they want to destroy Israel. We can talk about a ceasefire after Hamas is neutralized."
Fetterman also opposes any conditions on military aid to Israel. In a separate post on X, he said he "unequivocally stands with Israel" and demands the immediate release of all hostages. He also said, "we must minimize suffering in Gaza and our humanitarian aid efforts must match the need."
President Joe Biden has opposed increasing nationwide and global calls for a ceasefire. But the Associated Press reports Biden publicly acknowledged that Israel was losing international legitimacy for what he called its "indiscriminate bombing."
