OP-ED: The late hour resolution and lingering questions why
By ALAN SMASON, Editor
Frankly, after news leaked out after yesterday’s passage of a resolution proffered by members of a pro-Palestinian advocate group for BDS, we were stymied. How in the world could such a resolution be placed on the agenda of the New Orleans City Council without prior notice, much less could it be passed without objection?
Under typical rules, such resolutions or ordinances up for a vote require previous public notice and advertisement to the general public who want to speak for or against the measure. As it turned out, the only people who spoke on the resolution were the members of the New Orleans Pro-Palestinian Solidarity Committee (NOPPSC) and it passed by a vote of 5-0 including those of author and Council president Jason Williams and Mayor-elect Latoya Cantrell.
Understandably, Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans CEO Arnie Fielkow, a former president of the Council himself, was unnerved. Only hours earlier, he and several of his cronies and heads of his constituent agencies were warmly welcomed by the Council. Yet, with just the slight passage of time, a measure touted by NOPPSC as the first of its kind in any southern city, had been passed. It is a slap in the face of the very Jewish community members, who were lauded generously for their contributions to the City of New Orleans during its historic past and remembered during the ongoing tricentennial celebration period.
While the measure talks in glowing terms about universal human rights and does not specifically mention Israel or Zionism, the fact that the Palestinian issue was discussed just prior to a vote being taken and that it had been authored by the NOPPSC and given to Council president Williams for him to sponsor speaks to the core of the issue.
In recent years, many of the supporters of BDS have sought to destabilize the State of Israel through resolutions of this sort. In fact, many cities and states have authored anti-BDS legislation to ensure such measures don’t slip past unaware officials, who might be duped into the passage of such measures.
While we are alarmed that the vote was able to be taken during the suspension of rules, we are hopeful that this will be a wakeup call to those who would oppose BDS efforts. The NOPPSC is claiming victory on its social media pages today and we have no one to blame, but ourselves for not being vigilant.
The Anti-Defamation League and the Federation have put out a joint statement about BDS and the history of the movement. We urge you to read it and find out why so many are upset over this issue. What happens now is squarely in our court.
The fact that this resolution passed 5-0 under suspension of the usual rules and escaped any pushback from the mayor-elect makes us wonder if the words of praise she uttered early in the day about the Jewish community were heartfelt or empty.
