Doral council revokes Gaza peace resolution, rejects mayor's replacement

The Doral City Council reversed its support of a resolution calling for "an immediate and permanent end to all hostilities" in Israel and Gaza, but failed to pass a replacement proposed by the mayor.

Why it matters: Tuesday's votes leave Doral — which briefly was the only South Florida city demanding peace in the Israel-Hamas war — without a stated position on the future of the conflict.

Zoom in: Mayor Christi Fraga's proposed replacement would have affirmed the city's support for Israel while backtracking on its peace demands.

• Rather than calling for an end to all hostilities, it said the "Hamas terrorist organization must be defeated in order for there to be peace and security."
• But Vice Mayor Oscar Puig-Corve and councilwomen Digna Cabral and Maureen Porras voted against it, with Cabral arguing the council should first gather input from the community.

Friction point: "It was a surprise to see councilwoman Cabral stand for the same proposition [as us]," Zohra Mehdi Khorashi, an advocate for Palestinian liberation who helped craft the original resolution and opposed the replacement, told Axios Tuesday.

• "It'll be interesting to see if she's willing to work with both the Muslim and Jewish communities" going forward, she said.

Catch up quick: After the original resolution, which called for peace, the city faced backlash from Gov. Ron DeSantis, right-wing media outlets and some local officials.

• Less than a week later, Fraga backtracked, calling the resolution "well-intended" but "naive" and "fundamentally flawed" before presenting the replacement that was rejected Tuesday.
• Some members of the community said the new draft was one-sided and was crafted with no involvement from the Muslim community.

Context: About a dozen Doral community members urged the council to reject Fraga's new resolution and uphold the call for peace.

What's next: The council is expected to draft a new resolution to be voted on during its next meeting in June.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that Vice Mayor Oscar Puig-Corve (not Council Member Rafael Pineyro) joined members Digna Cabral and Maureen Porras in voting against the new resolution.