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Live updates: Massachusetts reacts to Israel-Hamas war
Many with Massachusetts ties are feeling the impacts of the war.
Almost two months after Hamas launched an attack on Israel, thousands of lives have been lost. The initial attack killed more than 1,400 in Israel, while the ensuing war has caused the deaths of at least 14,800 Palestinians, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza.
After a ground invasion brought Israeli troops into Gaza City, negotiators finally had a breakthrough and a temporary ceasefire began on Nov. 24. Some of the estimated 200 hostages taken by Hamas were released before fighting resumed Dec. 1.
The war has sent reverberations around the globe, affecting many in Massachusetts. Follow here for live updates.
‘Harvard hates Jews’: Group takes credit for hiring plane to fly over campus (Dec. 7)
A plane pulling a banner proclaiming “Harvard hates Jews” alongside a Palestinian flag flew over Harvard Square around noon on Thursday, and a group is taking credit for the display.
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Harvard for Hamas, claiming to represent a group of Jewish students, hired the airplane to “condemn the rabid antisemitism at Harvard University.”
Their press release said the plane will be around for the next few days, and a flight tracker showed the flight leaving the area by 1 p.m.
“This rise of antisemitism has been either ignored or even endorsed by the universities’ leaderships, as was witnessed at the Congressional hearing,” the release said. “Harvard President Claudine Gay refused to answer the question, of whether calls for genocide against Jews will be considered a violation of the University’s code of conduct. Jewish students nationwide felt threatened and abandoned by Gay’s lack of response.”
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The Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee responded on Twitter, calling the banner antisemitic and the use of the flag racist weaponization.
“We reject the racist weaponization of the Palestinian flag to create hate and fear on Harvard’s campus,” they wrote, “and we are disgusted by this antisemitic attempt to attack students, especially as our Jewish community members prepare for the first night of Hanukkah.”
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy also shared an image of the plane on X.
Harvard for Hamas said the Palestinian flag was included in their banner because it has “become the symbol of genocide and violent Jew hatred in America.” They also said other Ivy League campuses will be “targeted” with the aerial banner.
Auchincloss and Moulton are not buying Harvard president’s free speech claims (Dec. 7)
U.S. Reps. Jake Auchincloss and Seth Moulton, both representatives for Massachusetts and Harvard University alums, once again criticized their alma mater and its president following a tense congressional hearing over antisemitism on college campuses.
Harvard president Claudine Gay as well as MIT’s and University of Pennsylvania’s presidents faced questions from U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, a Republican from New York, about whether calling for genocide of Jews violates school policy on bullying and harassment.
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“It can be, depending on the context,” Gay responded. Answers from UPenn’s Liz Magill and MIT’s Sally Kornbluth similarly drew sharp criticism.
Some have even called for the resignation of all three presidents.
The testimonies given by the three presidents had to strike a delicate balance that acknowledged a rise in both antisemitism and Islamophobia, but that also legally supported free speech on their campuses. But those watching felt the campus leaders missed the mark when it came to distinguishing campus free speech from antisemitic hate speech.
Auchincloss and Moulton put out a joint statement, specifically calling out Harvard’s hypocrisy when it comes to supporting free speech.
“Harvard ranks last out of 248 universities for support of free speech,” the statement said. “But when it comes to denouncing antisemitism, suddenly the university has anxieties about the First Amendment. It rings hollow.”
Antisemitic Zoom bomb disrupts Mass. town meeting (Dec. 7)
Winthrop authorities are investigating a hate crime after an individual via Zoom disrupted a Town Council meeting on Tuesday evening with an antisemitic slur.
The person, seen in a video provided to WHDH, wore sunglasses and a mask that nearly covered their entire face, and behind the person was a flag with a swastika. After saying an antisemitic slur during the meeting, the participant also appeared to give the Nazi salute.
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In a press release from city officials, they said the slur used is “primarily used today by white supremacists to denigrate Jewish people.”
“The Winthrop Police Department is actively investigating this incident as a hate crime,” Chief Terence Delehanty said. “We will respond aggressively to this attack on our community. There is no place for hate in Winthrop. Not in person, not online, not anywhere.”
Police said they have reached out to state and federal authorities to help identify the individual.
The evening of the hate crime incident, Town Council members were discussing Winthrop’s flag flying policy, specifically to display the Israeli flag amid the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators protest at Boston Christmas tree lighting (Dec. 1)
Among the attendees at this year’s Boston Commons Christmas tree lighting were more than 100 demonstrators calling for a ceasefire amid the Israel-Gaza conflict.
According to local news outlets, the protesters with Boston Coalition for Palestine carried signs and chanted during the ceremony, saying they felt it was necessary to protest at the event to rally around Palestinian Christians who have had to cancel their Christmas events this year due to the conflict.
“We felt like we needed to give a voice for the many Palestinian Christians who do not have a voice,” Fawaz Abusharkh, of the Boston Coalition for Palestine, told WBZ. “Christmas in Palestine got canceled. The tree of Bethlehem is not going to be lit this year because of the genocide in Gaza.”
Some people who were there to attend the tree lighting spoke to the stations and said they felt the demonstration was inappropriate given the event, though the protest was peaceful.
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At the time of Thursday evening’s event, a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was in place, but that has since expired. The Guardian reports that more than 100 people in Gaza have been killed, according to Hamas, since the fighting resumed.
Brookline declines to hold requested Town Meeting on Israel, despite state law requiring it (Nov. 30)
A meeting to debate a resolution that would have Brookline Town Meeting voice support for Israel and condemn Hamas was voted down for fear of the fighting that the controversial measure could cause.
But in the Select Board voting against calling a special Town Meeting over the resolution, Brookline.News reports that they broke state law.
That’s because enough registered voters in Brookline — at least 200 — signed a request for a Town Meeting to be held to discuss the resolution.
Despite the fact that this law was discussed among the Select Board, and town attorney Joe Callahan advised against voting no, three Select Board members voted no, one voted yes, and one abstained.
“I strongly believe that by scheduling this Special Town Meeting, we open our town to more division, more attention, and … more harm,” said Select Board member Miriam Aschkenasy. “When what we desperately need is more unity, more understanding, and more compassion.”
Warren calls for 2-state solution, but not a cease-fire (Nov. 30)
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren called for a two-state solution amid the Israel-Gaza conflict during an interview on WBUR’s “Radio Boston.”
The comment from the Massachusetts senator comes as some constituents continue to call on the progressive Democrat to say she supports a cease-fire. Though she said she supported the current temporary cease-fire in place and that Israel’s bombing of Gaza civilian areas should not resume, she stopped short of calling for a permanent cease-fire.
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“Israel has a right to defend itself, and also an obligation to protect civilian life,” Warren said. “I started calling for a cessation in the bombing because of what it meant in terms of the number of innocent people, people who are Palestinians, who are trying to get on with their lives, who are being killed. I also pushed for the release of hostages because I think that’s critically important, and trying to get more aid into Gaza, more humanitarian relief.”
In the interview — which can be streamed online — Warren said she believes obtaining peace in the war-torn region means reaching a two-state solution.
“It means that Palestinians and Israelis can live in security,” Warren said. “They can build their own futures. They can build a future for their children and their grandchildren. It’s clear right now that we’re not headed in that direction or have not been.”
Harvard added to list of schools DOE is investigating in antisemitism probe (Nov. 29)
Harvard University is now the second college in Massachusetts currently under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, The Boston Globe reports.
The university, which has been in the news repeatedly for campus protests and tensions over the Israel-Gaza conflict, appeared on the DOE’s “Open Title VI Shared Ancestry Investigations” list this week. According to the Globe, the federal agency is investigating Harvard over alleged discrimination “against students on the basis of their national origin (shared Jewish ancestry and/or Israeli) when it failed to respond appropriately to reports of incidents of harassment” reported last month.
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Details about the incident under investigation were not provided by the DOE, but Fox News Digital reported that it involved an Israeli student at a pro-Palestinian protest at the Harvard Business School campus.
Wellesley College is also under investigation. In mid-November, the DOE received a nine-page letter from two Jewish organizations that called for an investigation into an incident in which resident assistants said “there should be no space, no consideration, and no support for Zionism” at the school.
Needham man says his young cousins were among those released in latest Israel/Hamas swap (Nov. 28)
Hamas released 11 hostages on Monday, all women and children taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz in Israel, The New York Times reported.
Among them were Sahar Kalderon, 16, and her brother Erez, 12. They are the young cousins of Jason Greenberg, of Needham, The Boston Globe reported. After being released into the care of Red Cross officials, the two siblings were medically evaluated and reunited with their mother and sister.
Monday marked the fourth day of the ceasefire. There were 13 hostages released Friday, 13 more Saturday, and 14 Sunday. Israel and Hamas agreed to extend the ceasefire for two more days past Monday, according to the Associated Press.
Ofer Kalderon, 53, is the father of Erez and Sahar. He is believed to still be in Gaza as a hostage.
“There’s no prospect of him being released soon, so that weighs on me heavily, as it does for the rest of my family,” Greenberg told the Globe.
Greenberg lost his aunt, Carmela Dan, 80, and her granddaughter Noya, 13, on Oct. 7 as they were being taken into Gaza. Noya, an avid “Harry Potter” fan, was autistic, Israeli officials said in a social media post last month. A few days later, they announced that the bodies of Noya and Carmela Dan had been found.
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“They loved to spend Shabbat together,” Greenberg told the Globe. “It was just another Friday night, spending the night at Grandma’s house… That’s where their fate was sealed.”
According to Greenberg, Ofer was separated from his children while they were being abducted. The Needham resident found some solace in the fact that the two siblings were released together.
“The fact that they were released at the same time on the same day is improbable to say the least,” he told the Globe. “Their father was not being held with them, so he probably doesn’t have any idea what’s happening, but I do believe, as a father myself, somewhere deep down he had some feeling that his children had reached safety.”
Previous live updates can be found here.
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