(JTA) — Jews in Eugene, Ore., persuaded the local human rights commission to suspend for now a resolution condemning Israel for its flotilla raid last year.
More than 70 members of the local Jewish community, including officials of the local federation and community relations council, attended the commission’s meeting Tuesday evening.
"When you act without listening to the other side, you do not act in good faith," Rae LaMarche, the president of the Lane County federation, told the meeting, according to the Eugene Register-Guard.
The commission suspended drafting the statement pending further comment from the community, the Register-Guard said. It was acting on the request of a local pro-Palestinian group, the Al-Nakba Awareness Project.
Israel raided a flotilla of aid ships attempting to breach its blockade of the Gaza Strip on May 31. In the ensuing violence nine Turks, including one Turkish American, were killed.
As the Year Turns, Support the Journalism You Trust. JTA covers the stories shaping Jewish life around the world — with the depth this moment calls for. As you reflect on the year ahead, consider a gift that keeps independent Jewish journalism strong.