Main Talking Points
Putting Politics Before Community
The proposed resolution:
- is divisive, as it pits one San Francisco community against another on an issue that is thousands of miles away. It would create hostility against the Jewish community of San Francisco and in surrounding areas as it targets unfairly the Jewish State of Israel.
- will expend extraordinary resources on an international issue about which there is strong disagreement in the City while detracting from critical local issues.
- singles out Israel while the major human rights abuses of dozens of countries are ignored.
Support a Peaceful Solution
- The overwhelming majority of San Francisco’s Jewish and general community supports Israel’s right to exist in security and peace, supports a peaceful resolution of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict including a two-state solution, and strongly opposes one-sided resolutions that unfairly single Israel out.
One-Sided Resolution Ignores the Facts
- It is clear that the purpose of the flotilla, organized by groups associated with Hamas and other terrorist organizations, was not primarily humanitarian. Instead, the purpose was to undermine the Israeli blockade, which is legal under international law and used to prevent the rearmament of Hamas, an internationally recognized terrorist organization.
- The outcome could have easily been avoided. Five of the six ships agreed to be boarded peacefully and without incident. The incident would have been avoided if the MV Mavi Marmara had agreed to peacefully dock and the fighters on board had not commenced an attack on the naval officers as they descended onto the ship deck.
