Burr Ridge Pushed To Back Cease-Fire Resolution

BURR RIDGE, IL – Residents asked the Burr Ridge Village Board to call for a cease-fire in Gaza, which Israel has bombarded for the last six months.

Trustees heard 15 speakers at their monthly meeting. Burr Ridge has a sizable Muslim community, with which Mayor Gary Grasso and other village officials have sought to maintain close ties.

In its attacks in Gaza, Israel is accused of killing more than 31,000 people, most of them women and children.

The attacks are in response to Hamas militants killing more than 1,160 people and taking hundreds of hostages in Israel on Oct. 7.

At the board meeting, resident Nizam Khatib said the world has witnessed the consequences of Israel's war for too long.

"The images of innocent children being pulled from the rubble from their homes, hospitals, schools and places of worship are etched into our collective consciousness, serving as a stark reminder of the inhumane toll of this genocide created by the Israeli occupying forces," Khatib said. "The loss of life of innocent civilians before Oct. 7, on Oct. 7 and after Oct. 7 are a very sad tragedy."

Khatib said society must not turn a blind eye and remain silent about the suffering. He urged trustees to adopt a cease-fire resolution.

Ibrahim Syed, a 21-year-old college student, said he was speaking on behalf of the youth of the country and "every single person who is not blinded by the lies."

"We will continue to fight until justice prevails in Palestine. We will continue to demand a cease-fire and speak out until Palestine is free," Syed said.

Ending his speech, Syed said, "I say this with my chest out and my head held up high under the protection of the First Amendment – 'from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.'"

Another man following him at the podium repeated the same saying, which the Anti-Defamation League says is antisemitic.

After the public comments, Grasso asked whether the cease-fire resolution would also apply to Hamas.

Members of the audience said it would call for stopping all the killing.

Grasso also asked whether the audience was asking for the release of the hostages. The residents said they were.

"You've given us a lot to think about," Grasso said.

Chicago and Bolingbrook have adopted cease-fire resolutions.