The Minneapolis City Council overturned Mayor Frey’s veto of the Israel-Palestine ceasefire resolution Thursday morning in a 9-3 vote.

The council moved forward with the ceasefire resolution by Councilmember Aisha Chughtai (Ward 10) for the war in Gaza. The resolution called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, supported an end to U.S. military funding to Israel, and called for the release of all hostages by Hamas and the immediate release of all Palestinians in Israeli military prisons. 

The ceasefire resolution initially passed with a veto-proof 9-3 majority on Jan 31 with Mayor Jacob Frey’s veto coming that same day. Frey’s veto was expected after he spoke strongly against the resolution and called it “one-sided.” 

Frey, who is currently Minneapolis’ only elected Jewish person and just the city’s second-ever Jewish mayor, said in his veto letter he supports a ceasefire but the council’s resolution was not progressive or inclusive. 

“Too much of the debate locally has been spent choosing sides, rushing to include details favoring one side while excluding those that favor another,” Frey said in the veto statement. “We are better than that.”

In the overturn vote, councilmembers Michael Rainville (Ward 3), Linea Palmisano (Ward 13) and LaTrisha Vetaw (Ward 4) voted against it while Councilmember Emily Koski (Ward 11) abstained, mirroring their initial votes on Jan. 31. 

Moments after the vote, the crowd erupted into a mix of claps and cheers before Councilmember Andrea Jenkins (Ward 8) silenced them and called on the crowd to be respectful. 

“Can I please ask people to not cheer or jeer? These issues are way too serious, it disrespects the lost life of Israelis, Palestinians,” Jenkins said. “This is not a football game or a spectator sport, so thank you for respecting that. I appreciate it.” 

In a joint statement issued on Friday, Council President Elliot Payne (Ward 1) and Council Vice President Aisha Chunghtai (Ward 10) said they are proud of the nine council members who voted to support the resolution. 

“When this council speaks with the clarity of a veto-proof majority, we will do everything in our power as council leadership to defend the will of the body, regardless of the issue,” Payne and Chunghtai said in the statement. 

After the overturn vote, Frey said in a proclamation that he supported an immediate ceasefire, the release of all Israeli and Palestinian hostages and a two-state solution recognizing the sovereignty of Israel and Palestine. 

“As a local leader, I am using my voice to stand firmly against the rise of all acts of racially motivated violence and hate crimes perpetrated against our Palestinian, Israeli, Muslim and Jewish constituents here in Minneapolis and around the United States,” Frey said in the proclamation.