Free Republic

A California city has become the first in the US to pass a resolution condemning Israel — accusing the Jewish nation of committing “ethnic cleansing and collective punishment.” The resolution passed by the Richmond City Council around 1 a.m. Wednesday states, in part, that Palestinians in Gaza “are currently facing a campaign of ethnic cleansing and collective punishment by the state of Israel.” That “is considered a war crime under international law,” the resolution states. It also calls for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire and the safe passage of substantial humanitarian aid to Gaza,” as well as an “end to Israeli...

As the war continues to escalate between Israel and Hamas, the city of Richmond is weighing in on the international crisis. The City Council overnight Wednesday passed a resolution in support of the people of Palestine, according to the Jewish News of Northern California, a move the local Palestinian community is applauding. “I applaud the city of Richmond for taking this seriously. Personally, my friends have been attacked at UC Berkeley walking home for just for wearing a Kufiya,” said Luqman Elbakri of Berkeley. The resolution was to “affirm the city’s support and solidarity with the Palestinian people of Gaza,”...

A misunderstanding of Virginia’s independent cities and counties apparently led a nonprofit voter registration group to mail 587,638 absentee ballot applications to Virginia voters that asked them to send the ballot back to the wrong election office. The Center for Voter Information said the mishap was an honest mistake mainly affecting voters in a handful of localities that share a name: including Fairfax City and Fairfax County, Richmond City and Richmond County, Roanoke City and Roanoke County, and Franklin City and Franklin County.... The mass mailing, which involved more than 2.2 million pre-filled absentee ballot applications statewide, sowed confusion for...

"7 p.m. Update: A group of about 100 protesters set up an encampment outside Richmond City Hall Monday evening as they demanded police reforms from city leaders."