Congresswoman Barragán maintains her opposition to a ceasefire during Long Beach briefing

On Sunday, Dec 17. Congresswoman Nanette Barragán hosted an ‘End of Year Legislative Briefing’ at the now-shuttered, Bebe's Diner in Long Beach. Barragán was elected in November 2016 to the U.S. House of Representatives, becoming the first Latina ever to represent California's 44th Congressional District. The closed event allowed constituents an opportunity to meet with the representative and ask questions or express their concerns that they might have relevant to her office.

During the gathering, Barragán spoke on several topics including her recent participation in the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference in Expo City, Dubai (COP 28). She also highlighted her advocacy for asylum seekers and better border policies, which were some of the primary talking points in her campaign.

Near the beginning of Barragán’s speech, a group of about 30 protestors arrived outside the diner. The demonstrators lined up silently and held up large banners with messages such as "Cease Fire Now" and "From the river to the sea Palestine will be free," which has become a popular, though polarizing mantra amongst pro-Palestinian advocates. Meanwhile, inside the diner, several attendees distributed a printed letter that demanded the congresswoman call for a cease-fire.

Congresswoman Barragán, who serves as the Chair of the Hispanic Caucus and has long-held left-leaning views on various issues, has recently faced criticism for her backing of Israel and her failure to respond to constituent requests urging her to call for a ceasefire. The politician stated that her office had received many calls on the matter, but has not wavered from her opposition. Some constituents allege that Barragán is maintaining her position because of campaign contributions she’s received from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

Barragán responded to several questions from event guests, acknowledging that some may disagree with her stance on the matter. She described the events of October 7th, saying she was both “horrified” and “stunned,” comparing it to what happened to the United States on 9/11. Several attendees interrupted the congresswoman during her speech to point out the rising civilian death toll in Gaza. “Nobody supports that,” Barragán responded, saying she believes it to be wrong that civilians are being killed.

Congresswoman Barragán also said that while she might not agree with Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu on many issues, she ultimately views Israel as an ally. In previous meetings with Netanyahu, Barragán claimed that the U.S. urged the prime minister to consider a two-state solution, and said she disagreed with Israel’s expansion of settlements in the West Bank. However, Barragán ultimately faulted Hamas for the escalated violence and lack of diplomatic solutions. “Hamas has broken the cease-fire in the past,” she said referencing previously failed truce agreements.

One constituent, Fatima Iqbal-Zubair, was allowed to respond to the congresswoman during the legislative briefing. “I think part of the story that is missing, that I’ll add is that there have been over 75 years of military occupation,” Iqbal-Zubair said. She went on to state that there's a need to humanize the experiences of people involved. “The Palestinian people have had their homes bulldozed, experienced humiliation, everything that [Israeli] hostages have gone through, except they've gone through it for 75 years.”

She also mentioned that the unwillingness to call for a cease-fire will also inevitably have negative consequences for Jewish communities. “This is not the way to keep the Jewish community safe either, this is not the way to address the violence of the Israeli government,” she said.

Congresswoman Barragán left the premises shortly after Iqbal-Zubair finished speaking and did not interact or engage with the protestors outside.

During a separate conversation outside of her diner, Iqbal-Zubair told CALÓ NEWS that while she voted for Barragán, and has previously agreed on environmental justice issues, she fundamentally disagrees with her opposition to a ceasefire. “Congresswoman Barragán can call for the right solution for this crisis,” she said. “As America, we have the power to stop this. If Biden withheld funding then Israel would have to call for a ceasefire – that’s the reason why Congresswoman Barragán's voice is so important.”

CALÓ NEWS reached out to Congresswoman Barragán for comment but received no response as of press time.