“As I look to the Middle East, a place that was so rich and vibrant, but now, it seems as if our lives don’t matter.” These are the words of a Lafayette College student who made an emotional plea to members of Bethlehem City Council Feb. 20.

His comments came near the end of two and one-half hours of public comments related to the situation unfolding in Gaza.

The student spoke about compassion and how it relates to home. “This is a council that knows what matters. This is a council that wants to listen to the people.” He continued, “We are speaking aboutmatters on a local level. We are speaking about fixing local situations, whether it be in terms of how you are handling issues like the HARB, people presenting their grievances or validating the lives of the people who live in your district.”

Nearly 40 spoke about the humanitarian crisis.

Many related their personal stories, of generations of wars in which family members were killed. Others spoke of what it’s like to be a Muslim living in Bethlehem. All demanded council take a stand against the genocide like other American cities, such as Chicago and Denver, which have called for a cease-fire.

Councilwoman Hillary Kwiatek addressed the speakers about being the target of anti-Semitism, visiting Israel as a teenager and being raised to believe in social justice. In that spirit, she said she was proud of her son, a college student, who had stood with his classmates at a rally earlier that day.

“[The Israeli] government is committing ethnic cleansing. They are repressing their own people. The Prime Minister is a criminal. He is corrupt and he is an autocrat,” Kwiatek said.

She and Councilwoman Kiera Wilhem encouraged those present to contact everyone on council with their views and suggestions on the drafting of a resolution.

Mayor William Reynolds said, “You always learn from people’s experiences you’ve never met before. And the goal here is not just to stop the fighting, but it’s permanent peace.”

A vote on a resolution demanding a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas is expected at the next council meeting, scheduled for March 5.