AMHERST — The Town Council is calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war, approving a controversial resolution Monday that demands an end to the Israeli military siege in the Gaza Strip, the release of hostages and detainees on both sides and for humanitarian aid to reach the residents of Gaza.

The decision to adopt the resolution — about a week after Northampton approved its own cease-fire call — came after five hours of discussion, and it nearly didn’t happen after some councilors made amendments to the text that appeared to soften criticism of Israel by adding the mention of the role of Hamas in the conflict. Those amendments prompted the three councilors who sponsored the original resolution to temporarily drop their support.

When the resolution appeared to be doomed because of the addition of the amendments, shouts of “shame,” “children are dying” and “you have divided this town” came from spectators who packed the middle school auditorium, some holding up Palestinian flags and displaying banners calling for a cease-fire.

But close to 11:30 p.m., a motion was made to reconsider putting the amendments into the resolution and to return to the originally drafted language. That version was then approved by a 9-3 vote with one abstention.

The measure, endorsed by more than 700 residents as part of Amherst4Ceasefire, states that the council “extends our support to all the broken-hearted and vulnerable members of our Amherst community who are directly affected by this ongoing crisis, reaffirm our commitment to the safety of all members of our community and pledge to join with others seeking just and peaceful solutions.”

The resolution comes as more than 30,000 Palestinians, nearly half of them children, have been killed, and more than 1.9 million residents of Gaza have been forced to leave their homes since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.

At Large Councilor Ellisha Walker, a lead sponsor who said the resolution comes in the face of suffering and oppression and a humanitarian crisis, said her goal is to “uplift and center the Palestinian residents of Amherst at this time. We have met with (people) who are hurting, who are losing family members and loved ones.”

In supporting the final version, Walker was joined by two other sponsors, At Large Councilor Mandi Jo Hanneke and District 2 Councilor Pat DeAngelis, along with District 1 Councilor Cathy Schoen, District 3 Councilor Hala Lord, District 4 Councilor Pamela Rooney and District 5 Councilors Ana Devlin Gauthier and Robert Hegner, and Council President Lynn Griesemer, who said she supported the declaration reluctantly.

Voting against the measure were At Large Councilor Andy Steinberg, District 1 Councilor Ndifreke Ette and District 3 Councilor George Ryan, while District 4 Councilor Jennifer Taub abstained.

Taub said her decision not to vote for or against the resolution was due to a lack of balance. “While I fully support a cease-fire, release of the hostages and immediate delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza, I had hoped that the language of the resolution might be amended to be more balanced and reflect the full spectrum of all my constituents,” she said.

Amendment controversy

The amendments added to the original resolution garnered much discussion. They included statements that military assets for Hamas are putting Gaza residents in harm’s way and that Hamas is continuing to fire rockets into Israel. Both were brought forward by Steinberg and supported by eight councilors, with the resolution’s sponsors, as well as Lord and Devlin Gauthier, in opposition. This addition led to shouts from the audience of “you don’t respect us.”

When DeAngelis pulled her sponsorship of the resolution, she said the amendments showed the council was no longer listening to the Palestinian people and was trying to place blame. “This is no longer our resolution,” DeAngelis said.

“I am ashamed of us,” DeAngelis said, observing that she believes the Israeli government taken its military campaign in Gaza way too far, calling their actions “vengeance.”

“This is belittling and silencing their voices,” Walker said of those she worked with on the resolution, and she also suggested that the amendments were essentially making excuses for Israel. “There is no justification for what is happening.”

With the negative reaction from her colleagues and from the audience, Schoen said it was “an unfortunate turn of events, in my opinion” because there was no resolution to adopt. “I did not perceive there would be this result” from adding the amendments, Schoen said, before asking for the amendments to be removed and the original resolution to be reconsidered.

Her motion to reconsider was approved in a 12-1 vote, with Ryan the lone dissenter. Then, in a 7-5 vote, with Griesemer abstaining, councilors eliminated the amendments.

By that time, some from the audience, rather than remaining in their seats, stood up and created a barrier around the Town Council, whose members were seated at the front of the auditorium, below the stage.

The council continued its work amid shouts and disruptions, despite the presence of police officers and Community Responders for Equity, Safety and Service. “We can’t conduct our business in this kind of setting,” Ryan said.

Ryan said he wanted to find a middle ground that acknowledges all pain but that what was happening in the room was undermining democracy. “We are being bullied and harassed into these actions.” Ryan said. “I would urge my colleagues to maintain their fortitude.”

There was tension also about whether the proper process was followed, as the councilor sponsors asked that no changes be made to the text and that the resolution to be voted up or down as written. Griesemer said councilors have a right to propose and vote on amendments. “Presented as ‘take it or leave it’ makes me feel like I’ve been stripped of my rights as a councilor,” Griesemer said.

Steinberg said it was “troubling” that 10 councilors were left out of the process and had no opportunity to see the full text beforehand.

Arguments for, against

For three hours, people spoke both for and against the resolution.

“It is well overdue for you to call for a cease-fire now and end the horrors in Gaza and acknowledge the humanity of brown, innocent people are also equally worthy,” said Rabia Ahmed, a mother of two elementary school children. “It is a scary time to be a Muslim in America.”

Amherst resident Muhammad Sulaiman said that failure to adopt the resolution would make councilors complicit in a continued humanitarian crisis.

The resolution simply offers a basic truth about human rights and the dehumanization taking place in the conflict, said resident Leyla Moushabeck.

In response to some contending a cease-fire resolution fuels antisemitism, as the Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts has said, proponents disagreed.

“A cease-fire can never be antisemitic. Killing is not a Jewish value,” said resident Mattea Kramer, who said the resolution can “break the cycle of dehumanization.”

“I think we have to stop this, stop the shooting, and we have to let aid through,” said resident Rani Parker.

“Nothing justifies genocide. We’re simply asking it to stop,” said resident Stephen Brevik.

Others spoke against the resolution, including Holocaust survivor Henia Lewin, who said she again feels like the unwanted Jew after her life was saved as a baby. “This is divisive — let’s leave the foreign policy to our president and vice president,” Lewin said.

“The cease-fire resolution before the council is a tyranny of the majority and highly divisive,” said resident Mike Offner.

“I come to my Town Council for parking tickets, not foreign policy,” said resident Lisa Perlbinder.

Among the youngest speaking against the resolution was Springfield resident Eliana Olkin, 16, who reflected on her time as a certified emergency responder on an ambulance in Israel. Olkin said a cease-fire means nothing to Hamas and that it would cause Jewish people around the world to not be safe.

Rally for cease-fire

Before the Town Council convened, supporters of the cease-fire resolution staged a rally on a grassy area next to the middle school auditorium entrance holding signs such as “Let Gaza Live” and “Free Palestine,” singing songs and handing out watermelon balloons to children.

The more than 100 people were addressed by Josna Rege, the leader of Amherst4Ceasefore, who said it was amazing “that there’s so much groundswell of support for a cease-fire in this town.”

Ethan Markham, a member of Jewish Voices for Peace, said the council needed to “to stand on the right side of history.”

“Our tax dollars are funding a genocide, the mass murder, starvation and destruction of a people,” Markham said. He said it is not antisemitic to call for a cease-fire and that calling him antisemitic is a vile slur.

Sister Clare Carter of the New England Peace Pagoda in Leverett led a prayer that justice wash over the Middle East and called for weapons to be put down and peace to be pursued.

Among those lining the sidewalk with signs as people entered the building was Ali Caraveo, who teaches at the school. Caraveo’s sign read “Never Again for Anyone.”

“The priority should always be protecting human life,” Caraveo said, adding that the resolution is a step in that direction. “It’ll be a start.”

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.