Tension in S.F. over anti-Israel resolution

Tensions have risen in the town hall on Tuesday a nonbinding resolution calling for the condemnation of the murderous attack of the Israeli army on a fleet headed for the Gaza Strip.
At least nine people were killed by Israeli naval commandos in the May 31 raid on ships carrying aid to the isolated Gaza, which is under an Israeli blockade.
The bill, sponsored by Supervisors Sophie Maxwell and John Avalos, has more than two dozen "expected". It attempts to locate the attack which took place a half a world away from San Francisco, noting "the recognition and understanding of the unique relationship of our people to international struggles and the general principle that human life, whether here or abroad, has value and dignity. " Dozens of people waited hours to testify at the Commission of Supervisors weekly meeting, where the measure was considered. The witness went on late into the night.
Although the legislation has no legal weight, it has gained importance in the world of public relations, providing a forum for debate on Israeli-Palestinian dispute to be heard. Both sides flooded the supervisors of e-mails, phone calls and personal visits.
Most supervisors hoped the issue would simply disappear. And legislation is just what might happen. The council was expected to send the resolution to committee, where critics hoped he would die. Avalos has recognized that there are "so many different things, so many different sides, but was not ready to back the legislation he helped write. "I was told that this resolution is the division," he said. "But he really recognizes the disproportionate power the State of Israel must create and enforce a blockade on the high seas, even to the extent where attacks against civilians in the middle of the night. " Everything that happened on the high seas and what led to the fatal confrontation is a matter of debate, with conflicting accounts continue to be addressed.
The proposed resolution had included San Francisco in the conflict.
San Francisco is a very important symbol, it represents freedom and idealism, and nobody wants to see the symbol hijacked, "said Akiva Tor, Israel's consul general for the Pacific Northwest, which stood on a bench outside the room supervisors, pending the resolution to be heard.
"It may be a nonbinding resolution, but people pay attention," he said.
Lubna Morrar, who works with the Network of Palestinian youth and Arab resources and organizing center, acknowledged that much to look at what San Francisco did with what quickly turned into a divisive issue. "It is very important for the city of San Francisco take a position on this point," she said. "This resolution can be a springboard for human rights around the world."
Before the council meeting, the two sides clashed during the debate dueling rallies outside City Hall twelve o'clock. At times, sheriffs deputies in uniform had to intervene to separate people when in-your-face arguing got dangerously close to physical confrontation. A man blew a shofar, a horn used for Jewish religious purposes, to try to stifle debate condemning Israel.