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Mayor Ron Nirenberg said in a statement that he would not rescind the friendship status with Tel Aviv, despite the pressure from more than 30 San Antonio residents at last Wednesday’s public comment session to do so.
“The sister city program and agreements, by their very nature, transcend government and geopolitics,” he said. “The importance of a sister city agreement is being the platform for people-to-people diplomacy that it creates between a city in the United States and a city abroad.”
Nirenberg also declined to call for a ceasefire — residents’ other major demand — but added that civilian lives should be protected.
“As this conflict has gone on there has been a catastrophic toll in those areas, and as we articulated in that proclamation,” Nirenberg said. “Our hope is for peace. I’m not [a] military expert, but I would urge every effort be made by the state of Israel and any other actor to protect civilian lives.”
The public calls came as Israel’s bombing campaign and ground invasion in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack in Gaza left more than 10,000 people dead, mostly civilians. Hamas killed more than 1,400 people in Israel and took more than 240 hostages in its attack — again, mostly civilians.
Victoria Ramirez, a member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, called on Nirenberg to end San Antonio’s friendship city status with Tel Aviv over Israel’s bombing campaign.
“Mayor Ron Nirenberg, you are the one who determines whether or not we continue a friendship city agreement with Tel Aviv, Israel,” Ramirez said. “This also does fall on the responsibility on the rest of city council, as I urge you to back the constituents that are talking today and tell your mayor to also end the friendship agreement with Tel Aviv, Israel.”
Nirenberg has the power to end the friendship city status as mayor without a council vote.
Speakers like Angela Pardo said the city council’s actions still mattered even though they can’t directly influence U.S. foreign policy.
“I understand this body is not Congress,” Pardo said. “But we can still do something to support the children of Palestine and take a textbook stand against genocide. We can be an example to other cities and people and end our relationship with Tel Aviv. We can develop that relationship with occupied Palestine.”
Nirenberg did not comment on whether he would consider establishing a friendship city status with a city in Gaza or the West Bank.
Julián Castro established San Antonio’s friendship city status with Tel Aviv when he was mayor in 2011.
The 2011 agreement, which is viewed as a stepping stone towards sister city status, said the two cities would make joint efforts to promote economic cooperation and friendly exchange. That includes agreements for BioMed SA and San Antonio Water Systems to cooperate with their counterparts in Tel Aviv.
Anthony Cruz was the only speaker on Wednesday who advocated against ending San Antonio’s relationship with Tel Aviv. Cruz said he believed a humanitarian pause was necessary but that cutting ties with Tel Aviv would only contribute to more hate.
“We should continue our friendship status with Tel Aviv and show them that we stand with them in solidarity and support,” Cruz said. “We should also support the efforts of peace activists and humanitarian organizations who are working tirelessly to end the violence and help the victims.”
Salma Kherais, a Palestinian-American speaker on Wednesday, said Israel’s bombing in Gaza was personal for her.
My heart is with all experiencing pain. I join the collective call for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the occupation of Palestine. pic.twitter.com/BCBX2FgOQu
— Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez (@theloserteacher) October 14, 2023
“I’m calling for a ceasefire because every minute without a ceasefire will result in the death of civilians,” Kherais said. “I know this all too well, I have already lost family members to this genocide, and more people that are also residents in this city will lose their family members.”
Multiple speakers thanked District 1 Councilwoman Sukh Kaur, District 2 Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, and District 5 Councilwoman Teri Castillo for calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Mia Cabrera, a District 10 resident, said the killing and displacement of Palestinians today recalled memories of 1948.
“We are calling for a ceasefire to allow immediate humanitarian aid for the Palestinian people, which includes the restoration of food, water, electricity, and medical assistance,” Cabrera said. “What the people have been witnessing this past month is indeed the second Nakba, echoing the horrors of 1948.”
The Nakba, which means “catastrophe” in English, refers to the 1948 mass expulsion of Palestinians from the land now known as the state of Israel.
Nirenberg said his support for Israel has never meant that he’s against Palestinians.
“When this first began we made it very clear that we stood in solidarity with the Jewish people and the state of Israel in the face of terrible terrorism from Hamas,” he said. “This was never in opposition to the Palestinian people.”
Special rapporteurs for human rights at the United Nations said on Thursday that they “remain convinced that the Palestinian people are at grave risk of genocide,” and they added that Israel’s allies “bear responsibility and must act now to prevent its disastrous course of action.”
The leaders of 18 U.N. agencies and NGOs, including the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights and the head of the World Health Organization, released a joint statement on Monday that called for a humanitarian ceasefire.
The U.S. has begun to support short humanitarian pauses to let aid enter Gaza and negotiate over hostages. But it maintains that a long-term ceasefire would only benefit Hamas. Hamas has vowed to continue carrying out attacks against Israel until the nation is destroyed.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday he is open to short humanitarian pauses to allow for the movement of people and aid but a ceasefire is off the table until the hostages taken by Hamas are returned.
