DETROIT – On Tuesday, the Wayne County Commission passed a symbolic resolution calling for a ceasefire amid the ongoing Israeli war in Gaza, after weeks of delay and heated discussion.

The Commission’s statement was also a brief one, “condemning all acts of violence against the Israeli and Palestinian people, and mourning the loss of all civilian lives and hostages.” It also calls “for immediate release of all hostages” and a simultaneous ceasefire.

It took more than a month for the commission to bring the resolution to a vote, highlighting the emotionally and politically charged issue in the county that has a significant Arab American population.

The commission’s only Republican member, Commissioner Terry Marecki, voted against the statement. She represents Northville, Northville Township, the majority of Livonia and most of Plymouth Township.

 Last week, many residents urged the commission to make a public statement on the ongoing Israeli war on Palestinian civilians in Gaza, but Commission Chair Alisha Bell abruptly ended the meeting, cutting off an effort to vote on a resolution. Commissioner Raymond Basham, who represents various Downriver communities, said last week’s debate caused him so much stress that he ended up in a local hospital that night.

The vote on Tuesday came after two brief comments by two commissioners.

“I know this resolution is symbolic, but it’s very meaningful to the thousands of Wayne County residents, especially the 150,000 Arab Americans who live in Wayne County and have been impacted by this genocidal war,” said Commissioner Sam Baydoun, who represents Dearborn and Allen Park. “It has been 74 days of killing and destruction for the Palestinians of Gaza. And the entire world is watching helplessly because our government, the Biden administration, has refused to call for a ceasefire, while the United Nation general assembly overwhelmingly voted for a ceasefire resolutions. But, only the U.S. vetoed a U.N. Security Counsel resolution that calls for a permanent ceasefire and the unconditional release of all the Israeli detainees.

“Friends, when we call for a cease fire, this is not anti-Semitic,” Baydoun added. “It is pro-humanity. When we criticize the  Israeli government for  their indiscriminate bombings of entire neighborhoods in Gaza, this is not anti-Semitic, it is pro-humanity.

“This is not a religious war; this is not Islam vs Judaism. Christians are being killed every day in Gaza and multiple churches have been bombed in Gaza.

“Many people believe that Israel is acting in the name of Judaism, it is not. In fact, many Jewish Americans are standing against the genocide and saying ‘not in our name.’ Some who are with us in this room today from Jewish voices for peace.”

Commissioner Basham pushed back a bit on Baydoun’s criticism of the Biden administration.

“The thing of it is, let’s just take deep breath and say we don’t want anybody being killed,” he said.

The resolution comes more than two months into Israel’s war on Gaza, where early 20,000 Palestinians have been killed, half of them are children.