The Israeli bombardment of Gaza is a horrific mass atrocity the likes of which many of us have not seen in our lifetimes. More than 26,000 Palestinians have been killed, most of them women and children; more than 65,000 have been wounded; and over 90% of the population of Gaza has been displaced.

Our government is doing little to nothing to intervene, and US funding to Israel is enabling this civilian massacre. As a means to put pressure on state and federal lawmakers, cities around the country are passing ceasefire resolutions. Dozens of municipalities have passed such resolutions, and many more are working on them.

We urge the members of the Greenfield, MA City Council to pass a resolution in support of a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. While some may make the argument that global issues should not take up the time and energy of our local body, there are many ways in which this situation affects us here, and there is precedent for local municipal efforts leading to major world change. For instance, municipalities around the world taking a stand against Apartheid South Africa was instrumental in the fall of that regime in the 1990s. Additionally, the tax dollars that are diverted from Greenfield residents (on average $25 per person per year in the US goes to Israel) could be spent on our schools, our healthcare, our infrastructure.

The majority of US residents want a ceasefire. The majority of Greenfield residents want a ceasefire. This is something that is important to us. Please listen to the people, and let's take one of the few steps that we can take here and now to end this catastrophe.