Sacramento Chooses Ashkelon as “Sister City”
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by Zachary Lichaa
Sacramento, California. Photo: wiki commons.
California’s capital city has chosen Ashkelon in Israel as its sister city. Residents of Sacramento voted in favor of the selection on Tuesday night, after deliberation between those who supported the move and those who opposed it.
“Supporters of the plan expressed disappointment that the proposal had resulted in a political debate over Middle Eastern policy,” the Sacramento Bee reported on its website. “Opponents of the proposal decried city officials for forming a bond with a city in a country they charge violates human rights.”
Located in southern Israel, Ashkelon is subjected to rocket fire from Gaza on an almost monthly basis, prompting the IDF to station a part of its Iron Dome defense system there to prevent damage to Ashkelon’s residents and infrastructure.
After Tuesday’s vote in Sacramento, people inside the city council chambers reportedly stood up and applauded the decision. In 2009, Sacramento named “Bethlehem, Palestine” as one of its nine sister cities.
