Middle East War Breaks Out at Easton City Council

Easton City Council member Taiba Sultana was arrested in late July for domestic assault, and even spent a sultry evening in the hoosegow. But she's now all about peace and wanted City Council members to join her last night to call on Congress and the Governor to endorse a "Ceasefire Now" resolution being pushed by left-leaning members of the House.  Though the Ceasefire Now resolution is itself rather innocuous, Sultana never bothered to attach it to her own resolution. And her own resolution is one-sided. It accuses Israel of "targeting civilians" and claims incorrectly that President Joe Biden has advocated increased escalation by Israel when he's actually pressured Netanyahu to delay his ground war.  It never even mentions Hamas, which started the latest chapter in this never-ending conflict. Finally, she submitted her resolution at the last-minute, though she was sure to pack the meeting room with pro-Palestinian supporters. City Council accordingly voted 5-2 to strike Sultana's proposed resolution from last night's agenda, but that was only the beginning of a near war that erupted in City Council, as an emotional Sultana did her best to incite an equally intense mob that was at times completely out of control. 

Voting to strike the proposed resolution from the agenda were Sal Panto, Jim Edinger, Roger Ruggles, Peter Melan and Ken Brown. Voting to consider it were Sultana and Dave O'Connell. 

This is where things should have ended, but it's where it began .After all, this is Easton. While claiming to be solely interested in a ceasefire, Sultana in the same breath and sentence was accusing Israel of genocide. Sal Panto spoke glowingly of his Palestinian taxicab driver when he visited Israel a few years ago. Roger Ruggles said he has difficulty sleeping at night, so he listens to BBC and knows there are genocides all over the place. He wondered whether Easton should take a stand on them all. 

After going back and forth among each other, the floor was opened up for agenda items only, and most people addressed the Ceasefire Resolution that had already been removed. Remember, this is Easton.   

Yaseen Saleh, a Lafayette College student, actually spoke twice. He expressed some concern for his own safety, although I'm pretty sure Mossad was in Bethlehem last night to try out the new Peruvian chicken restaurant on Broad Street. He noted that, according to UNICEF, 2,300 Palestinian children have already died as a result of the Israeli bombing in Gaza. "By shutting down this resolution, we are shutting down the voices of those who are dying," he lamented.

Next up was fireball An-nisa Muqtadir, a very well-spoken resident, who reminded Council that she has voted in every election since she turned 18. She was furious with Mayor Sal Pnato, who earlier stated he does not speak for the City of Easton. "You say you don't speak for the City of Easton? Actually, you do. Every single one of you do." She reminded Panto that he once told her, "We are a voice for you.' Do not go back on your words now."

She made clear that "[w]e are against genocide, illegal occupation. Look at how many people have died and look at the definition of genocide." She slammed Easton for having a Christopher Columbus statue in close proximity to one of Larry Holmes. "Tell me how that makes sense. Tell me where it makes sense to put a colonizer and colonized together." 

In Easton. 

When her five minutes were up, she continued speaking anyway. "I am a citizen of Easton " She was incensed because she thought Council members were laughing at her. I'll tell you I doubt that very much. She was not only eloquent, but I think she could take down all five behind the dais in the blink of an eye. Her mike was eventually cut, but I could hear her saying, "I am not finished." As she spoke, another woman placed herself between Muqtadir and City Council while a third woman stood in solidarity next to her. 

I thought for sure that Muqtadir would be yanked, especially since two police officers were there on loan from Mossad. But they let her go. This is Easton. Ken Brown began talking to the triumvirate in soothing tones about giving respect to get respect.  Downtown Kenny Brown was a basketball referee so he knows how to mollify angry mobs as he's covered several Central Catholic games. 

Following fireball Muqtadir was Raya Abdelaal, a Palestinian who said she lives in Nazareth, of all places. After her grandfather left Palestine in '48, he was never allowed to return. He died in Syria. Her grandmother was displaced by war three times. "I am a product of war," she asserted. She brought pictures of children she claims were killed by Israeli bombs, adding little stories about the hopes of each of them. "And I have thousands more!" she cried out in anguish, as other photos fell out of her hands and onto the floor.

"When you question why this should be here, it makes me feel that you question the identity of all Palestinians in the United States," she posited somewhat illogically.

She also derided the 5-minte rule on public comment. "The Nazis also said we need to follow the rules when they were killing the Jews. ... The world said never again, but it's happening again." Look, I'm a big advocate of public comment and just had a big argument with a Northampton County Council member about this, but I think it's a tad ridiculous to equate a five-minute public comment rule with the Nazi Final Solution.  

She told Easton City Council that she wants to return to Palestine. "Do you think I want to be here right now? Don't you think I had a right to grow up in Palestine?" She also told them to disregard biased media reports and "look outside regular media."

That's exactly what right wingnuts say too. 

She closed with a text message allegedly sent by a Palestinian under a pile of rubble. "I'm screaming. Nobody can hear me. That's all I have to say."

Unfortunately for Sultana, there was an Israeli in the audience. Hagai Feiner is not in Mossad (at least I don't think he is), but did serve in the Israeli Air Force for four years before coming here in 1998. "I've seen first hand the impact of terror," he said.  "My sister was injured and had half of her leg blown off by Hezbollah terrorists shooting over the border from Lebanon into Israel." He also lost a family member three weeks ago in Gaza. He was used as a human shield when Hamas made their escape from Israel and was then shot in the head when his usefulness came to an end. Despite this, "I feel all of the pain in this room," he said. But he took Sultana to task and declared she has an agenda. 

He pointed to Sultana's false Facebook claim that Israel has bombed a Gaza hospital and killed 500 when it was actually a misfire from terrorists. "Miss Sultana has an agenda beyond the pain. There are lies that are being spread on the Internet about my people, which also incites violence. This is not just a call for a ceasefire. There was never a call for the release of the American hostages who are still being held in Gaza. Where is that?'

"I know that this hurts," he told everyone.. "It hurts me, too."  But he's bothered by the misstatements Sultana has made online. 

Will there ever be peace? "That may not be achievable when our children are beheaded," Feiner observed. "No posts about that. It's condemnable, but did you actually condemn it?" he asked Sultana. "I will condemn Israel's acts against any innocent person, but Israel's also fighting guerilla warfare, where Hamas is embedded within a civilian population.." 

He warned there are "two sides to this story and we have a City Council member misrepresenting the facts." 

Would not be the first time. 

Easton Solicitor Joel Scheer suggested this issue should be brought to Northampton County Council, so this may be making the rounds.