Betsey Piette, who has lived in the Philadelphia area for more than 35 years, asked why the Council had never passed a resolution condemning [neocolonialism] for killing over 7,000 Palestinians in Gaza over the course of multiple bombing attacks since 2008, and why Council members had never spoken out against the [neocolonists] living in illegal settlements throughout the occupied West Bank.

As the hearing went on, armed and uniformed City Council security guards began targeting Palestine solidarity activists and dragging them from the hall. As people began to voice outrage against this, Clarke abruptly shut down discussion.

After Council members unanimously passed the resolution, the demonstrators left City Hall to gather outside. There they were joined by dozens of Jewish activists, who had picketed outside Sen. John Fetterman’s office for supporting President Joe Biden’s stand giving full support to [neocolonialism].