Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a stern warning to the city of San Marcos over a proposed, largely symbolic resolution that calls for a ceasefire in Occupied Palestine and questions military aid to Israel.

The San Marcos city council will vote next week on a resolution advocating for “an Immediate, Permanent, and Sustained Ceasefire in Occupied Palestine, Arms Embargo on the State of Israel, Recognition of Palestinian Sovereignty and Protection of Constitutional Rights.”

Abbott Warns of Funding Cuts

In a sharply worded letter to San Marcos’ mayor, Abbott declared that “anti-Israel policies are anti-Texas policies” and suggested the resolution might violate state law prohibiting boycotts of Israel.

“My office is already reviewing active grants with San Marcos to determine whether the City has breached terms by falsely certifying compliance with Texas law,” Abbott wrote. “If the City Council adopts this Resolution, the Office of the Governor will not enter into any future grant agreements with the City and will act swiftly to terminate active grants for non-compliance. I will further direct all other state agencies to review agreements with the City for possible breach.”

Resolution Highlights Local Funding Concerns

The proposed resolution notes that San Marcos residents’ tax dollars contributed over $4 million to Israel’s weapons purchases in 2024. It suggests the city “stands to benefit from a reallocation of local funds towards essential domestic priorities such as transportation, education, housing, healthcare, environmental protection, and public goods and services, which currently face neglect due to state and federal appropriations to Israel’s military.”

The resolution highlights that Palestinians of Jewish, Muslim, and Christian faiths face a humanitarian crisis in Gaza and explicitly “condemns anti-Palestinian, Islamophobic, antisemitic, and all xenophobic rhetoric and attacks.” Abbott, however, characterized the resolution as “antisemitic” in his letter.

Critics Note Apparent Contradiction

Critics point to an apparent contradiction in Abbott’s position, as he previously argued that federal aid to Ukraine would be better spent domestically – a similar argument to what the San Marcos resolution makes regarding aid to Israel. Most of the funding authorized for Ukraine has been spent making purchases from the U.S. defense industry.

The confrontation comes as American public opinion on Israel is shifting, with a recent Pew Research survey showing 53% of Americans hold an unfavorable view of Israel, up from 42% in March 2022.

Read more at MSNBC.