It rained today, which was fitting as Doral Mayor Christi Fraga addressed reporters and members of the community after attracting controversy over her ceasefire resolution. The press conference, originally planned to be held at the Downtown Doral Park was moved to the City of Doral Government Center wherein Mayor Fraga spoke for a little under 3 minutes on the issue. Calling the resolution "naive" as well as "fundamentally flawed," Mayor Fraga apologized for the "turmoil" it caused.
Joined by state Representative Alex Rizo (R), who also serves as the chair of the Miami-Dade County Republican Party; David Suarez, Commissioner of the city of Miami Beach; Rafael Pineyro, Doral City Councilman; Miri Ketayi, the South Florida regional director for the Israeli-American Council; Josh Sayles, director of the Jewish Community Relations and Government Affairs for Greater Miami Jewish Federation, and other members of the federation, Mayor Fraga excused herself, admitting that "while my actions were well intended, the process in which I followed, and the final wording of the resolution that was unanimously approved by my colleagues in the city council, was naive of me and fundamentally flawed."
This, she argues, resulted in "a complete misunderstanding of my true intentions and stance on this international and local issue." Apologizing "for the turmoil it has caused in our city and our state, but also the hurt it may have caused the many Jewish and Israeli members of our community," the Doral Mayor denounced Hamas, adding that "Israel has a right to defend its citizens and its existence."
"The pain and suffering, the loss of innocent lives, can end today, if Hamas releases the hostages, drops its weapons, and turns themselves in without conditions. This is not a matter of partisanship. It is a matter of what is right versus wrong."
To right the wrongs of the past, Mayor Fraga announced that "in order to remedy and reaffirm our position on Israel and the truth of what is happening in the Middle East, I propose new language with which I've worked with many members of our community."
Referring to the new language as simply "eye-opening facts and data," she urged her colleagues to "adopt this new language at Tuesday's special council meeting."
State Representative Rizo shared some words of support for Mayor Fraga while still sharing his concerns with the initial resolution.
"The moment that I read it, I had some concerns," the state Representative shared. "To Mayor Fraga's credit, she has spoken to leaders, both elected and community leaders, faith leaders in the community, and all over the state, quite frankly. She's been in very concentrated talks with the government of Israel and its elected leaders as well as here in South Florida, and together, they have offered a replacement resolution that we all feel very confident in."
Though the mayor did not take questions, this did not stop other lawmakers from questioning her actions.
Hallandale Beach Commissioner Michele Lazarow and Vice Mayor Annabelle Lima-Taub were in attendance, donning black shirts that read "Bring Them Home Now." Lima-Taub questioned Mayor Fraga over her comment of having "carefully crafted" the resolution, but the mayor did not provide a response.
Speaking to reporters, Lima-Taub further questioned why "the mayor said that she 'carefully crafted' this resolution full of Hamas talking points."
"It endangers Israelis, it endangers Americans. There is no language about the sexual violence of women in Israel, and we have 5 hostages - American hostages - no language about the American hostages. It's an abomination, and I didn't hear an apology. I want an apology," she said.
"The Jewish community deserves an apology, and the Americans deserve an apology."
