The Pulaski County Quorum Court voted Tuesday to send a resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Palestine conflict back to committee for debate, with the possibility of it coming up at the quorum court’s next monthly meeting.
Dozens of activists from Little Rock 4 Ceasefire came to the meeting to support the resolution, sponsored by District 6 Justice of the Peace Donna Massey. Ceasefire supporters have gone to several Little Rock Board of Directors meetings over the past few months to push for a similar resolution, but the city board so far has not taken up the issue.
Now ceasefire advocates are broadening their focus to include county government. While they’ve already had more success at the quorum court than at the Little Rock City Board, which never added a ceasefire resolution to its agenda, the fate of the symbolic measure remains to be seen.
District 13 JP Phil Stowers made the motion to send the resolution back to committee, which passed unanimously. Three of the quorum court’s 15 members were absent.
“Tonight, citizens of Pulaski County are resolute in our commitment to calling for a permanent ceasefire, a release of hostages and protection for people both in the land of Israel and Palestine and here in Pulaski County,”  told the quorum court. Gray is an organizer with Little Rock Peace for Palestine, another local activist group.
Ali Khan, a gastroenterologist at Baptist Health, also gave a public comment at the meeting.
“I just hope when you take this back to the committee that you would let God and your faith guide you in moving in the right direction,” Khan said.
“I know of a patient, a Little Rock resident, who lost 17 members of their family. This directly affects Little Rock citizens,” he said.
The quorum court can’t negotiate peace in Gaza, but activists say the resolution would send a symbolic gesture of solidarity and add Pulaski County to the growing number of U.S. communities that have formally called for a ceasefire.”