Portland City Councilor Mitch Green Joins Pledge to Investigate Local Complicity with Israeli Military

October 16, 2025

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Portland City Councilor Mitch Green Joins Pledge to Investigate Local Complicity with Israeli Military
Veteran and Anti-War Activist Green to Help Lead National Call for Municipal Arms Embargo at Press Conference on October 17

PORTLAND, OR - Portland City Councilor Mitch Green, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and United States Army Veteran, has signed a landmark pledge to investigate the manufacturing and transport of weapons to Israel within Portland's city limits. Six councilors have already signed the pledge which represents a novel municipal approach to challenging U.S. complicity in Israel's ongoing occupation of Palestine.

Councilor Green and his five colleagues will publicly announce the pledge and call on city officials across the U.S. to join them during a virtual press conference on Friday, October 17, at 1:00 p.m. PDT. The move aims to build a national groundswell of local action for an arms embargo and to end municipal support for what the pledge describes as "Israel's illegal occupation, apartheid, or genocidal violence against Palestinians."

For Councilor Green, the rejection of militarism, imperialism, and colonialism abroad and the fight for democratic rights at home are inextricably linked. At a recent rally organized with veterans to oppose the deployment of National Guard troops to Portland, Green drew a direct line from U.S. foreign policy to the threats facing American cities.

"Portland in this moment cannot be separated from the broader historical context of the militarization that we are embedded in," Green stated. "For my entire adult life, I have witnessed the federal government pour trillions of dollars into a machine that wages war on a global scale. And now that war has come home."

The pledge commits the signatories to investigate a range of city activities, including:

• The manufacturing of weapons and weapons parts for the Israeli military within Portland,
• City investments in or contracts with companies complicit in Israeli policies, and
• Diplomatic ties, including sister-city relationships, with Israel.

By joining this pledge, Councilor Green and his colleagues aim to leverage municipal power to disrupt the flow of weapons and funding, laying the groundwork for concrete policy actions to end Portland's complicity.

The virtual press conference will take place via Zoom on Friday, October 17, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (4:00 p.m. EDT).

Registration is required for members of the press and the public. Registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_2MisTP_sSGqvTqUgTxxdAg

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Councilor Mitch Green Official Social Media Channels and Website
Instagram @councilormitchgreen
Bluesky @councilorgreen.bsky.social
YouTube @CouncilorGreenComms
Website portland.gov