Letters to the Editor
Human Rights for Who?
Alexandria prides itself as a bastion of human rights, and our council
members constantly remind voters of their commitments to equity and
justice for all.
I therefore find it ironic and incredibly disappointing that the city
council has made no effort to respond to the statement passed by its own Human Rights Commission on March 20, without opposition, in support of a ceasefire resolution. Not one council member made a public statement in support of Palestinians or Palestinian-Alexandrians. The council won’t allow a resolution on the agenda, despite a ceasefire
recommendation from the body to whom the city entrusts deliberation
around human rights.
As deaths at the hands of Israeli Occupation Forces pass the 34,000 mark and the starvation of Palestinians continues, calling for an
unconditional ceasefire is no longer radical. Over 132 municipalities in
the U.S. have called for a ceasefire, including Harrisonburg and
Charlottesville. Normally Alexandria leads. Why not now?
The mayor has repeated that he “do[es]n’t think the Alexandria City
Council should be in the business of weighing in on the conduct of
international conflicts.” Yet, in the aftermath of Oct. 7, the city
decided to light up city hall in Israeli colors, of which the mayor
tweeted a photo, captioned “Alexandria City Hall is lit in the Blue and
White as we stand with Israel and against the murderous terrorism of
Hamas.”
Clearly, our city’s leaders have no problem speaking out on
international issues when they feel morally compelled to do so. What
isn’t compelling about genocide and apartheid faced by the people in
Palestine? Our city’s leaders claim to be committed to human rights for
all Alexandrians, until those Alexandrians are Palestinians with friends
and family members slaughtered and starved using our tax dollars. This
is textbook hypocrisy coming from our city's leaders.
Amanda Eisenhour,
Alexandria for Palestinian Human Rights