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Dozens of public commenters urge Board to condemn Israel, lift Gaza blockade; speakers include Bay Area passengers of flotilla
Summary
During public comment the Board heard extensive testimony — including from San Francisco Bay Area residents who were aboard the Gaza Freedom Flotilla — urging supervisors to condemn Israel’s May 31 raid, call it illegal and press for lifting the blockade of Gaza.
A large contingent of public commenters used the Board’s public‑comment period to call on the Board of Supervisors to condemn the Israeli military’s May 31 interception of humanitarian vessels bound for Gaza and to urge city officials to press federal leaders to lift the blockade.
Multiple speakers described personal involvement: several Bay Area residents who were on the flotilla gave first‑hand accounts of boarding, injuries and detention after Israeli forces boarded in international waters. Jean St. Onge, Janet Cobrin and others recounted being beaten, briefly detained in Israeli custody and deported. “They attacked the wheelhouse… attacking the captain, crew, and some of the passengers who were nonviolently protecting the captain with their bodies,” a speaker said of commandos boarding the vessel.
Speakers urged the board to voice opposition to the blockade and the raid. Several called for San Francisco to join other jurisdictions and international actors in demanding an independent inquiry, lifting restrictions on food, medicine and building materials into Gaza, and in some cases to press for sanctions until the blockade ends.
Members of local organizations including the Arab Resource & Organizing Center, Jewish Voice for Peace and the Labor Council, as well as law professors and students, testified. Some speakers urged the board to take no position on an international dispute; others argued that defending human rights should command municipal leadership.
Board members did not take a vote during the public‑comment period. Council staff indicated that a resolution had been circulated for board consideration and that speakers’ testimony would be part of the public record for any forthcoming item.
