Durham Councilmembers Johnson, Williams Support Tweets Critical Of Israeli Government

DURHAM, N.C. – Councilman Leonardo Williams, a frontrunner in Durham’s mayoral election, appears to have liked a tweet critical of the Israeli government and then later unliked it.

The tweet, posted by Breaking the Silence (@BtSIsrael), reads, “Hamas’s attack and the events unfolding since yesterday are unspeakable. We could talk about their cruel and criminal actions or focus on how our Jewish-supremacist govt brought us to this point. But as former Israeli soldiers, our job is to talk about what we were sent to do.”

This statement is followed by a thread of tweets explaining the humanitarian situation through a largely Palestinian-sympathetic lens. Outgoing Durham Councilwoman Jillian Johnson retweeted the statement by BtSIsrael – according to screenshots posted by Durham-based X (formerly Twitter) user @DeborahProudJew, Councilman Williams liked this retweet. However, Williams’ likes no longer appear under “Likes” on his X profile. 

The tweet from BtSIsrael came amid attacks on Israeli citizens by Hamas, a militant organization based in the Palestinian exclave of Gaza. In response, the right-wing government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared war and taken aggressive action against the group – and, by extension, the people of Gaza. The area has been subjected to a blockade by Israeli forces for over fifteen years. Various commentators have described Gaza as an open-air prison.  

In 2018, Durham City Council endorsed a memo from then-police chief C.J. Davis that opposed international police exchanges “with any country in which Durham officers receive military-style training,” though the memo only named Israel. Though supported by some demilitarization activists, the move triggered a lawsuit by Durham resident Deborah Friedman. 

Last March, Israeli consul general Anat Sultan-Dadon visited Durham. Dignitaries planted a “Tree of Peace” at the meeting in East Durham Park.