A motion to put a referendum on Peoria Township ballots regarding the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza failed Tuesday night at Peoria City Hall by a 93-67 margin.
Activists representing both sides of the issue flooded into City Hall on Tuesday night, filling the City Council chamber room and two overflow rooms in an effort to voice their opinions and vote on if a referendum calling for the federal government to stop giving military aid to Israel should be on November ballots.
The failed referendum proposal read as follows:
"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?"
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Those in attendance who supported the proposal said that Peorians "had a right" to vote on the question on November ballots. They also argued Israel was committing genocide in Gaza and that the township of Peoria should be vocal in taking a stand against it.
Those opposed to the proposal, however, argued the issue had no business being a township matter and, rather, should be settled by the federal government.
Some also took issue with the way the proposed referendum question was worded, arguing the wording lent itself to bias and that it was designed to lead people to a particular answer.
"It's well known in science the way a question is asked significantly influences the response that's given," said David Nathan, a citizen in attendance Tuesday. "... This is written in a way to illicit a specific reply — it is not written in a way to get an honest answer of where the public stands."
The pro-Palestine group, however, argued the question was written using language that is widely used by human rights groups around the globe and said it would not have changed the wording.
"We did not come here tonight to settle the question of terminology — organizations such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Doctors Without Borders and numerous other research and civil society organizations, as well as people in occupied Palestine, which is known as Israel, and Palestinian historians such as Rashid Khalidi — have supplied us with accurate language to describe the reality of this brutal occupation," said Peoria for Palestine President Imam Mazhar Mahmood.
Mahmood said after the vote that his group was "most definitely disappointed in the outcome," but said his group's activism efforts will be ongoing.
"While we are certainly disappointed, we are not surprised that many would act on this anti-democratic sentiment," Mahmood said. "Silencing sensitive conversations in an effort to obscure truths, truths which we are all directly implicated in, prolongs and exacerbates division, it does not prevent it."
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When asked what he meant by calling the vote an "anti-democratic sentiment," Mahmood said, "a vote to not put an item onto the November ballots and suppress voices and the actual thoughts of what Peorians, perhaps, want to vote for or vote against, for that matter — that in itself is anti-democratic."
All members of the Peoria City Council were present at the meeting, but only two — Mike Vespa and Zach Oyler — spoke on the matter at hand.
Vespa urged both sides to think about the impact their choices of words would have in the debate.
"Absolutely, people in pain should share their genuine emotions. I get it, and at least I try to empathize with it, but purposeful exaggeration and stirring the pot is reckless because it can set off hateful, unstable individuals," Vespa said. "I am not accusing anybody here specifically of that, but it's on the table. I ask everyone to listen and consider other perspectives that conflict with your own. That's what I'll strive to do, especially from those two communities affected, people from outside of those communities take a back seat."
Vespa added he would not "presume to know the complexities" of the cease-fire negotiations happening at the federal level, nor would he tell them what to do.
"I am not sure a ballot initiative like this would help to achieve a long-lasting peace, nor would it be helpful in maintaining the cohesiveness of our community — which is why I'm here," Vespa said. "I am afraid that seeing this ballot language in November is just going to make angry people angrier."
Oyler said he would not be supporting the motion. He, too, said it was a federal issue.
"Regardless of one's opinion on the actual decision on the question or the actual verdict of the question, I am a firm believer that we have a lane to stay in and a role and responsibility in government," Oyler said. "I have been steadfast in my time in collective service of focusing on staying in my lane and the issues are part of my elected responsibilities, and this is not an issue for the town of the city of Peoria. This is a federal issue."
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