BELLEVUE, Wash. — State Democrats passed a trio of resolutions Sunday at their convention concerning the war in Gaza, including a call for an immediate cease-fire and to halt U.S. military aid to Israel.
The resolutions passed in the waning minutes of the third and final day of the party’s biennial convention in Bellevue after about a half-hour of debate.
Sunday’s votes were largely a formality, but show where the majority of the state party faithful stand as the war has divided Democrats across the country, including members of Washington’s Congressional delegation. Earlier this year, the party’s central committee voted to call for an immediate cease-fire in the conflict.
While all three resolutions passed by comfortable margins, not all delegates agreed with the proposals.
Karol Brown, of Bellevue, said during debate that “resolutions like this can raise the temperature of the conversation locally.”
“And that can lead to hate crimes against Washingtonians of the Jewish faith, while doing little to actually end the conflict 1,000 miles away,” Brown said.
But Yaz Kader, a delegate from Seattle, said passing the resolutions would send a message beyond the state.
“Show the world and the country that the Washington State Democrats stand on the side of human rights and freedom,” he said.
Party Chair Shasti Conrad said in a speech Sunday morning, in reference to the war, that Democrats must wrestle with “the complexities of the world as we find them” and have “the capacity for nuance.”
“What is happening in the Middle East is horrifying to watch,” she said. “We should be horrified by mass death and an ongoing hostage crisis, destabilization in the region and communities pitted against each other, abroad and at home.”
