From an excerpt of the article:

The D.C. Council has yet to show the courage to take a lead on this issue and to represent their 700,000 tax-paying residents who have no representation in Congress due to lack of statehood.

Councilmembers claim they cannot comment on international affairs or the foreign policy of the U.S. government, but in the recent past, they have passed resolutions calling for an end to the blockade on Cuba, condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and hoisted Ukrainian flags throughout the city. At Bowser’s holiday party Monday, the Ukrainian ambassador was an honored guest, but the Council still ignores calls for a ceasefire in Palestine.

Beyond an end to the current hostilities in Gaza, activists are also calling for the resolution to include the basic respect, humanity, and dignity of Palestinian and other Arab residents in D.C.

A woman who spoke during the meeting with the Council testified she was spat on by a passerby while wearing a keffiyeh scarf and walking with friends in downtown Washington. Her experience is just one of many showing that the violence in Palestine is creating conditions for not only more anti-Semitism but also more open anti-Arab racism and Islamophobia.

D.C. residents, whether they like it or not, financially contribute to the genocide in Gaza—$15.6 million of their tax dollars go to military aid for Israel. Metropolitan Police Officers also participate in regular training programs with the Israeli Defense Forces.

Lacking statehood, D.C. residents find little room to have a voice in national policy, but at the very least they expect their local representatives to put out statements and pass resolutions with a symbolic impact. They see it as a way to show that the residents in the nation’s capital do not support the aggressive foreign policies of the federal government.