A California city is being slammed by local Jewish leaders for becoming the first in the US to publicly condemn the state of Israel and accusing the state of ‘ethnic cleansing.’ 

The declaration comes two weeks after the horrifying attack by Hamas which has claimed the lives of more than 1,400 Israelis, most of whom were civilians. 

Richmond, California, a town about 18 miles north of San Francisco, voted 5-1 to pass a resolution that they claim recognizes Palestinians suffering but accuses Israel of ethnic cleansing. 

‘The city of Richmond stands in solidarity with the Palestinian people of Gaza, who are currently facing a campaign of ethnic cleansing and collective punishment by the state of Israel.’ 

Mayor Eduardo Martinez, a Democrat, claims that he voted for the resolution because he believes American taxpayers are on the hook for what he referred to as an ‘apartheid state.’

‘The people of the United States whose government and tax dollars directly support Israel’s military, have an immediately moral obligation to condemn Israel’s acts of collective punishment in the apartheid state,’ Martinez said, according to NBC San Francisco. 

The city added that they ‘affirm the city’s support and solidarity with the Palestinian people of Gaza.’

However, the resolution has infuriated local Jewish groups, including a condemnation from the Jewish Community Relations Council of San Francisco.

‘The resolution promotes propaganda, weaponizes historical inaccuracy, and accuses Israel of ethnic cleansing and apartheid in Gaza,’ the statement read. 

‘The resolution was amended during the proceedings but remained inflammatory and biased. The vitriol of resolution supporters was also notable.’

Despite his inflammatory rhetoric, Mayor Martinez claims the shocking resolution promotes peace. 

‘This proclamation chooses human lives over politics,’ said Martinez. 

He also claimed that referring to Israel as an ethnic cleanser and an apartheid state was not anti-Semitism. 

Richmond, California, a town about 18 miles north of San Francisco, voted 5-1 to pass a resolution that they claim recognizes Palestinians suffering but accuses Israel of ethnic cleansing

The resolution has infuriated local Jewish groups, including a condemnation from the Jewish Community Relations Council of San Francisco

‘I reject the notion that speaking out against Israel’s military and right wing government is antisemitic,’ he added. 

‘We should never stay silent when it comes to any group. The Palestinian people are currently dealing with what the United Nations calls war crimes by the state of Israel.’ 

However, one woman who spoke ahead of the resolution’s passage compared his council to the Third Reich.

‘To see the Richmond City Council propose this (resolution) is an abandonment of the Jewish community,’ one woman said. ‘You hate Jews,’ a resident said. ‘You are the new Nazis.’ 

They did receive a commendation from the Arab Resource & Organizing Center in San Francisco.

‘We are you with you as the tide shifts across the US, as more decision makers echo the calls of the masses and rise up in support for Palestinian freedom,’ the group said in a statement. 

‘We have a long way to go, and we are proud that the Bay Area is leading the charge.’

It comes just as the rhetoric remains white hot and incidents of anti-Semitism in the wake of the attacks are on the rise. 

There was a ton of consternation during public comment, with one woman who spoke ahead of the resolution’s passage compared the council to the Third Reich

Despite his inflammatory rhetoric, Mayor Martinez claims the shocking resolution promotes peace

Many have called for the end of US aid to Israel as it defends itself against Hamas terrorists, who are holding around 200 people hostage since their brutal October 7 slaughtering that killed 1,400 people. 

But many consider their protests in favor of Hamas, which executed a brutal terror attack on the Jewish state on October 7. 

Earlier this week Israel hosted a 45-minute screening of video footage recovered from the bodycams and smartphones of dead Hamas gunmen showing the brutality of their raids on October 7.

The footage showed clip after clip of civilians being shot, stabbed, tortured and burned, according to journalists who attended the screening.

Their corpses were arranged for all to see – bound, gagged and riddled with bullet holes and knife wounds. 

Others were decapitated with knives – and one victim was partially decapitated with a garden hoe as he lay cradling a bullet wound in his stomach.

One young girl was seen hiding under a desk, waiting as the terrorists decided what her fate would be. Moments later they gunned her down from point-blank range. 

One clip showed the moment a Hamas terrorist threw a grenade at a father and his son. 

A dead body lies covered on the ground in an Israeli kibbutz following a mass attack by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip

The blast kills the father, who pitches forward into the turf, while the young boy is covered in his blood. 

The child is dragged inside and forced to sit next to his brother, whose eye is a bloody mess – either due to shrapnel from the grenade blast or torture.

One of the boys sobs: ‘Why am I alive?’ as the ruthless terrorists stand over the body of his father. 

Another dark chunk of footage showed how unsuspecting IDF soldiers were beheaded with their headless corpses left splayed in the streets, while a contingent of female soldiers were incapacitated by a grenade before being shot at near point blank range. 

The journalists also said they witnessed scenes of sheer panic, terror and devastation at the Nova music festival, where more than 250 civilians were slaughtered.

Some victims hid in skips, others in portable toilets, but all were found and either gunned down, or savagely beaten before being taken hostage. 

In the past three weeks, President Joe Biden has offered full-throated support for Israel, ever since 1400 people were killed in a terrorist attack almost three weeks ago.

He has strengthened U.S. force deployments — dispatching two U.S. aircraft carrier strike groups to the region — and last week he made the case for offering financial aid.

Israel’s foreign affairs minister Eli Cohen speaks during a meeting of the Security Council on the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas

Forensic investigators comb through debris of an Israeli home burned to the ground by Hamas

Israel is preparing for a ground invasion of Gaza, from where the Hamas terrorists launched their attack. 

Its forces have put the small Palestinian territory under virtual siege, choking off supplies of food, fuel, water and medicine apart from a small number of aid trucks entering from Egypt.

Meanwhile Iran’s foreign minister has said Hamas is ready to release civilian prisoners, while also saying the world should support the release of 6,000 Palestinian prisoners. 

Israel’s incursion of Gaza started last night and the death toll in Gaza has risen over 7,000 civilians – 3,000 of which are children – according to the Hamas-controlled Palestinian health ministry.