Kamloops City Council will not be debating a notice of motion on Tuesday that is calling on them to take a public stance on the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.

That is because Councillor Nancy Bepple, who put forward the notice of motion, has confirmed to Radio NL that she will be withdrawing it from debate on Jan. 23.

“I would say that politics is sometimes a long game and it was clear to me that the motion that I had put forward wasn’t going to pass,” Bepple said on the NL Noon Report, when asked why she decided to withdraw the motion.

“I think its time to step back and work with colleagues and community and try to find something but in terms of having a motion to go forward with, I thought a pause would be the best.”

Bepple’s notice of motion called on the City to write a letter to the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau requesting a national call for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of all hostages.

It was also calling for humanitarian aid for Gazans and for the federal government to “recognize the humanitarian crisis” and also called on Mayor and Council in Kamloops to “condemn all acts of anti-Semitism, racism and Islamophobia” in Canada.

Bepple was asked why she felt that she didn’t have the support of her colleagues.

“You would have to talk to my colleagues about that but what I find having been on council for a number of years is that wordsmithing around the council table is not the best use of time,” she said.

“It would be better for me to withdraw the motion, look at what is supportable, rather than trying to wordsmith it around the council table. I don’t think that that is the best use of time.”

At this time, it is not clear if the motion will be put forward again in the future.

But Bepple says there are people in Kamloops who have friends and relatives in Israel and Gaza who are being affected by the ongoing conflict.

“This is in response to community requests and my own feelings in terms of the issue,” Bepple said on Jan. 9 when she presented the notice of motion.