"Group Calling On Ann Arbor Boycott Of Israel Expected At Monday City Council Meeting"

"Group Calling On Ann Arbor Boycott Of Israel Expected At Monday City Council Meeting"
Aug. 15, 2014
WEMU Radio
Ypsilanti, Michigan

At: http://wemu.org/post/group-calling-ann-arbor-boycott-israel-expected-monday-city-council-meeting

When Ann Arbor City Council meets Monday night they will consider plans to rezone land, money to pay for the creation of a deer management plan, and ordinance changes to the taxi-cab ordinance. The most noise however may come from an item not on the agenda, violence in the middle east.

For more than a decade a group of Ann Arbor residents has been asking for the city to boycott Israel. With the most recent violence in Gaza the issue has heated up in Ann Arbor as well.

At the last City Council meeting Mayor John Hieftje called for a recess and chanting protesters were escorted out by police.

Mozhgan Savabieasfahani says her group wasn't harmful to anyone and will be back at this meeting. She believes city council should at least hold a public hearing on what they want the city to do, "Not purchase anything from Israel.  Ultimately I would like to see all ties with Israel severed, cut as they did with South Africa."

Council member Sabra Briere isn't certain what the city can do to stop violence in the middle east, and isn't expecting anyone from council to propose a public hearing.

City Administrator Steve Powers says public comment requirements and limitations will continue to be shared and the mayor may call for a recess if he believes it's necessary to restore order.


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Also:

"War in Gaza:
"Israel takes fire from two Seattle City Council members"

Aug. 13, 2014

At: http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/2014/08/13/war-in-gaza-israel-takes-fire-from-two-seattle-city-council-members/


"Two Seattle City Council members have used their offices to enter debate over the war between Israel and Hamas, one calling for a complete halt of U.S. aid to Israel and the other for a “public briefing” directed at Israel’s military tactics and U.S. weaponry....

"“We call on President Obama, the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate to issue a formal statement denouncing Israel’s siege and blockade of Gaza and the occupation of the West Bank: We also call for an immediate end to all U.S. government military aid for Israel,” said a letter from Sawant, which only she has signed...."



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