(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The mayor of southwest suburban Orland Park has been catching heat from the Islamic community over comments he made at this week’s village board meeting.
Many Palestinian Americans call Orland Park home, and on Monday, there were citizens urging the village board to pass a resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. Among them: this educator, whose family has longtime roots in Orland Park. She chastised Mayor Keith Pekau’s anti-resolution stance.
“Palestine is very much an American issue and there are no two sides,” she said. “You’re either on the side of justice or you’re not.”
Pekau responded that the village board and himself have “zero impact on U.S. foreign policy,” and he argued that the resolution had no bearing “on the management, operation or governance of the village of Orland Park.”
He said the board was not going to vote on the resolution, and he eventually suggested that those who disagree with the U.S. position on Israel move to another country. Here’s what he said:
“I share those concerns for the innocent people in Gaza and my heart goes out to all the innocents impacted by this, and I hope nobody here ever experiences, especially not first-hand. But first and foremost, I’m an American. I’m not a German-American. I’m an American. That’s where my allegiances lie. Period. Dot. End of story.
“And if you’re an American citizen, and you don’t feel that way, in my opinion, you’re entitled to that opinion — but you can certainly go and go to another country and support that country.”
The head of the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations called Pekau’s comments ignorant and dangerous and said the mayor should apologize.
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