Brookline hears hours of public testimony on proposed ceasefire resolution; amendment offered to soften language

The Town of Brookline Select Board spent the bulk of its March 12 meeting on a contested warrant article urging an immediate ceasefire in Israel and Gaza and calling for humanitarian relief and the return of hostages.

Petitioner Navin Tahar, who said he is Egyptian American and a Brookline resident, opened the case for the resolution by describing what he called "unbearable suffering" in Gaza and urging the town to use its voice to call for a halt to civilian deaths, an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, return of hostages and safe passage for aid. "Killing and starving children is simply unacceptable," Tahar said. Co‑petitioner Beth Miller, who identified herself as Jewish and a Brookline resident, said the resolution is a way for the town to "let everyone in our community know that they belong" and to stand against antisemitism, anti‑Arab sentiment and Islamophobia she said have surfaced locally.

An amendment offered by Scott Gladstone (with Michael Burstein) would remove explicit "ceasefire" language and instead ask Brookline to "support the Biden administration in its efforts to seek a peaceful resolution to the war in Gaza and secure a lasting peace." Gladstone argued that softer, unifying…