PEORIA, Ill. – The global debate over Israel’s war with Hamas will not be taken up by Peoria Township voters this November.
At the township’s annual meeting Tuesday night, a proposed non-binding advisory referendum was up for a vote on the agenda. The proposed question was:
“SHALL THE UNITED STATES FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND SUBORDINATE DIVISIONS STOP GIVING MILITARY FUNDING TO ISRAEL WHICH CURRENTLY COSTS TAXPAYERS 3.8 BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR, GIVEN ISRAEL’S GLOBAL RECOGNITION AS AN APARTHEID REGIME WITH A TRACK RECORD OF HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS.”
Attendees at the meeting voted 93-67 to reject putting the question on the ballot. Some who voted no, such as at-large Peoria City Councilman Zach Oyler, believed the topic was not appropriate for the township.
“We elect people at a federal level to make decisions to receive the information to vet those decisions and come to a conclusion, and that’s where this should lie,” Oyler said.
Proponents of the referendum disagreed with that sentiment, saying it was a Peoria issue because it involves taxpayer money being sent to Israel. Another speaker claimed it was a local issue because of CAT machinery being used in the West Bank. Some speakers in favor of the referendum also claimed Israel was committing a “genocide” of the Palestinian people.
Opponents of the referendum also spoke out against the wording of the question, one of which was Peoria Township resident David Nathan.
“This way this is phrased, ‘global recognition as a apartheid regime with a track record of human rights violations.’ According to who?” Nathan said. “According to the person that wrote this and is trying to put this on the ballot. This is written in a way to elicit a specific reply.”
Another speaker, Paul Beiersdorf, says the issue would not have been brought up if October 7th did not occur, and that no one has requested to censure Hamas.
Speaking after the meeting, Peoria for Palestine President Imam Mazhar Mahmood says he was “disappointed” in the vote, calling it “anti-democratic.”
“Silencing difficult conversations in an effort to obscure truths, truths which we are all directly implicated in, prolongs and exacerbates division. It does not prevent it,” Mahmood said.
Mahmood says going through the township for the referendum was appropriate because of taxpayer dollars being used in Israel.
Mahmood also defended the language used in the proposed question, saying organizations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have used the “exact same language” previously to describe Israel.
Mahmood says the group will continue to get their message out, whether it’s through protests, one-on-one conversations, marches, or other referendums. He also is optimistic that the people who voted ‘no’ can change their vote, no matter what religion they are, when they research the topic.
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