Council President Salem emails ‘God bless you’ to supporter of his vote against Israel resolution

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Action News Jax has obtained an email sent by Council President Ron Salem to a supporter of his vote against an Israel resolution that read, “God bless you. I appreciate your comments.”

Action News Jax first reported on Oct. 10 that Jacksonville City Council passed the resolution introduced by council member Nick Howland. It showed support for Israel and condemned the Hamas terrorist attacks by a 16-1 vote -- Salem was the only council member to vote no.

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The attack has resulted in more than 1,300 deaths in Israel, including women and children of all nationalities, leading to an Israeli response to root out Hamas in Gaza, where nearly 3,000 people have died.

The email in question is one of 14 sent to Salem by his constituents that were acquired by Action News Jax’s Ben Becker through a public records request. Becker reviewed them and found most of them were in support of Israel.

One email demands Salem “resign as council president,” while another states, “I voted for you, but will never do so again.”

Read: City Council President casts only vote against resolution condemning terror attack on Israel

There were two emails that supported Salem and he only responded to one that was sent on Oct. 12:

“Council President Salem, I commend you for your courage in opposing C/M Howland’s naive proposal in support of Israel. It demonstrates his utter lack of knowledge of history and the suffering the Palestinians have endured at the hands of the Israelis. Promise after promise. Accord after accord and treaty after treaty have been ignored by the Zionist government against the state of Palestine. Judging the people of Palestine by the works of a group of extremists, is like judging all of the United States based on the actions of white supremacists. Hold fast, sir.”

Read: ‘We were stranded:’ Florida and Project Dynamo bring more than 300 Americans home from Israel

Salem wrote back shortly later:

“God bless you. I appreciate your comments. It’s been a tough day or two.”

“It makes a little bit of sense, he’s Palestinian,” University of North Florida political science professor Dr. Michael Binder said.

Read: Want to donate to relief efforts of the Gaza–Israel Conflict? Here’s how to avoid possible scams

Salem was sworn in as Council President in June and political observers tell Becker that Salem is eyeing a run for Mayor in 2027.

“Do you think something like this could hurt him long-term?” Becker asked Binder.

“In Jacksonville, not really,” Binder said. “This isn’t Boca Raton. We are one percent Jewish, maybe. I do not know what was in his heart when he cast that ballot.”

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According to the Anti-Defamation League website, using rhetoric like Zionist government, “Villainizes the vast majority of Jews around the world who identify with Zionism or feel a connection or kinship with Israel -- regardless of their individual views on Israeli policies.”

Action News Jax first reported Friday Oct. 13, there was a rally supporting Israel at the University of North Florida. It was followed by a rally on Saturday, Oct. 14 at the Town Center supporting the Palestinians in Gaza.

Becker texted Salem to request an interview about his response to the email, but he declined saying, “No one believes I think that,” with Salem adding “I’m done with you.”

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As for Binder, he said Salem should be more transparent with his views.

“If you are going to be voting on things, you should be able to explain them to your constituents no matter what they are,” Binder said.

One unnamed member of City Council told Becker they believe Salem should resign for failing to support the resolution without providing context because he’s council president.

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