Carbajal Pressed on Gaza Stance at Santa Maria Town Hall
Ryder Christ
SANTA MARIA, Calif. — Congressman Salud Carbajal faced pointed questions about his position on the war in Gaza during a town hall meeting at Allan Hancock College on Thursday night.
The discussion came as Gaza’s death toll surpassed 61,000 since October 2023, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, and humanitarian agencies warn that famine-level conditions are unfolding across the territory.
The event, part of Carbajal’s regular outreach to Central and South Coast constituents, covered topics ranging from federal budget cuts to local concerns. But at least a dozen demonstrators from various groups, including the Central Coast Antiwar Coalition, repeatedly spoke out of turn, urging him to take a stronger stance against U.S. military aid to Israel.
They are calling on Carbajal to label the war a genocide and to end U.S. military aid to Israel until what they described as “crimes” are stopped, by co-sponsoring HR 3565, the Block the Bombs Act, introduced in May by Rep. Delia C. Ramirez, D-Ill., with 28 Democratic co-sponsors. Carbajal is not among them.
“Will you stand up for us, the people who believe that this is immoral, and vote against funding for the military of Israel so that they have to stop the fight? They have to do a ceasefire.” asked Gale McNeeely, a Santa Maria resident.
Carbajal began to answer, noting the complexity of the conflict, before protesters interrupted. “Some people argue, if you look historically, there’s been an intrusion and violation of civil rights of Palestinians on some level. Some people see it more than others,” Carbajal said, before he was interrupted again.
After the town hall, Carbajal expanded on his position, saying he “fundamentally oppose[s] the use of American weapons against civilians in Gaza” and criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the war, calling the targeting of unarmed families in humanitarian aid zones “abhorrent and [something that] must be universally condemned.”
He said he is reviewing proposals to strengthen oversight of U.S. military and humanitarian aid to ensure American weapons are not used against civilians while protecting Israeli communities from further attacks. Carbajal also urged the Trump administration to guarantee that food, medicine and clean water reach Gaza without delay, pursue diplomacy to end the war, and secure the release of all hostages.
“I will continue to call for humanitarian aid delivery and a permanent ceasefire to bring us closer to a lasting peace in the region,” he said.
In the meantime, the group is promoting the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement to raise awareness and end support for what they describe as Israel’s oppression of Palestinians.