Many Los Altos community members have been in pain for the past few months dealing with family and friends caught in the violence in Israel and Palestine. We know that Israeli, Palestinian, Arab, Jewish and Muslim communities have all been affected. We thank the council for condemning the hate that these communities are experiencing in the resolution passed on Dec. 11.
However, the resolution fell short in upholding the sanctity of all human life by condemning only the atrocities committed on some innocent civilians and not on others. Make no mistake, we condemn Hamas for the atrocities they committed. We must also condemn the catastrophic atrocities being inflicted on the Palestinian people by the Israeli government. Unfortunately, this omission has dehumanized some community members and increased concerns for their safety.
While some council members shared our sentiments that taking a stand on global issues was problematic and was bound to result in increased divisiveness, Councilmember Pete Dailey stood out for his unabashed attack on every member of the community that did not share his worldview. He spent 20 minutes of valuable time on an extended statement (which was riddled with inaccuracies), including a 12-minute monologue of his personal views on world geopolitics, which had no place in city council chambers.
Pete Dailey accused Palestinians, Muslims and allies of volitional antisemitism, demonized them repeatedly by calling them “bathed in darkness,” and accused peaceful protesters of bringing violence to Los Altos. Criticizing the policies of a foreign government committing settler-colonialism and wartime atrocities does not constitute antisemitism. Rather, accusing Palestinians and their allies of antisemitism is a form of anti-Palestinian racism and a way of silencing all criticism of Israel. Councilmember Dailey’s accusations and false labeling from the dais contradicted the very purpose of the resolution and caused a deep sense of fear in community members who were simply sharing their stories.
Astonishingly, Councilmember Dailey tried to pit those experiencing hate against each other and felt that he could declare whose experience was more valid. He claimed that, “Rabbis are not calling for the genocide of Muslims in their sermons, but I know there are Imams who do,” when actually there are extremists, including Rabbis and top IDF officials calling for the complete destruction of Palestine. He claimed that Muslims “have not been persecuted globally.”
Perhaps he needs a lesson in history to learn about the Crusades, and the ongoing Rohingya and Uyghur genocides. He then delved into whataboutism, asking the speakers “where’s the outrage for the civilian casualties in Syria and Yemen?” in an attempt to distract from the point made by dozens of speakers that the ongoing massacre of Palestinian civilians is directly funded by U.S. taxpayers, making all of us responsible for speaking up.
Great leaders bring hope, peace, and unity to their communities. Councilmember Dailey instead marginalized and attacked members of his community simply for asking their city council to condemn violence regardless of the perpetrator. This makes us question his ability to serve and represent the Los Altos community.
This op-ed is co-authored by Aifra Ahmed; Ola Albaroudi; Noor Alnabelseya; Malika Junaid; Amal Khan; Ayelet Marinovich; Sheela Pai; Nadia Pai; Renee Rashid; Habiba Sarmad; and Erum Zaidi.
