A declaration calling for peace in the Middle East generated an impassioned response at a Fairfax Town Council meeting this week.

After nearly 70 public comments over three hours, the Town Council on Wednesday passed the proclamation with support from council members Bruce Ackerman, Lisel Blash, Chance Cutrano and Stephanie Hellman. Mayor Barbara Coler abstained from the vote.

The document states a commitment to end violence while acknowledging the impact to Fairfax residents. It urges the release of hostages, the immediate entry of humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza, and that the community participate in activities that foster tolerance for people of all backgrounds.

Coler characterized the meeting as “very emotionally charged.” Some felt the document was ideologically euphemistic, while others condemned the effort completely, she said.

“It was heartbreaking to listen to a lot of the stories, but ultimately we voted,” Coler said. “Listening to the testimony last night, I didn’t feel comfortable voting yes or no.”

“I felt like a yes vote, some people felt it would cause them harm, ultimately, or cause antisemitic events in Marin,” she said. “And there were some folks that didn’t feel it went far enough.”

In the last two days, the town received approximately 400 emails on the topic, Coler said.

The proclamation had previously generated a torrent of public comment on May 1. Many asked that it not be agendized.

The same public division and discord played out at the meeting on Wednesday.

Mark Solomons, a Fairfax resident who was present at the meeting, said he was disappointed in the vote. He called the proclamation unnecessary and “ahistorical.”

“They listened but they did not hear,” he said of the council.

“It provides a platform for lies to spread. It made ahistorical statements that Israel is a settler, colonizer country. It allows a platform for the cease-fire advocates to promote ahistorical truths.”

Christopher Perrando, co-chair of the Palestine Solidarity Committee of Marin County chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, said the proclamation was “a little watered down from what I would create myself.”

”We can’t really get to peace without justice and justice comes without acknowledging the facts,” said Perrando, a longtime town resident who recently moved to San Rafael.

“I thought it was a great showing from the pro-Palestine side,” he said. “I was very impressed by the coalition, so I am supportive of adoption as sort of a first step.”There were occasional outbursts and audible scoffs during public comment. After the meeting — after 1 a.m. — a shouting match erupted outside the meeting at the Fairfax Women’s Club. Police officers responded to dispel it. Coler said there was no violence and no arrests were made.

Councilmembers Cutrano and Hellman initiated the work in the spring to draft and bring the document for council consideration.

“I was very grateful for the way everyone held that space together for such an emotional topic,” Cutrano said. “There were so many different parts of the Fairfax community that came out to share their perspective. That’s beautiful to me, that so many people felt called to come out.”

Cutrano said this week that the statement was deliberately not brought forward as a “cease-fire resolution.” It was written following consultation with Jewish community members, local Palestinian Americans and Muslim residents, he said.

Hellman said the proclamation was informed by community input and ultimately strove to strike a conscious balance between variance in perspective on some details.

“I feel proud that the majority of public comments were constructive and I categorically condemn expressions of Islamophobia, antisemitism, and anti-Palestinian racism and violence, which were a tiny minority but intensely felt nonetheless,” Hellman said. “I appreciate my colleagues for staying focused in deliberations, which could have devolved.”

The town unanimously passed a similar proclamation in May 2023 regarding the war in Ukraine, which called for solidarity with the country and peace in the war-torn region.

Vice Mayor Blash said she voted for the proclamation because she felt it aligned with Fairfax values of peace, justice and compassion. She said she wanted to acknowledge the suffering and displacement of both Israeli and Palestinian civilians.

“I believe we need to encourage our government to play a part in facilitating a solution, and we need to provide opportunities for our own community to develop and participate in activities that foster empathy, tolerance and understanding,” Blash said. “In itself the proclamation is a small gesture, but change is often the result of cumulative large and small gestures.

“This may be a difficult conversation but I think it is still worth having.”