Massachusetts Democrats divided on Israel
BOSTON — Sen. Ed Markey stood atop the Boston Common bandstand Monday and denounced Hamas’ “heinous attacks” on Israel to cheers from the crowd that had assembled on the grassy expanse below. Then he called for a “de-escalation of the current violence” from both sides of the burgeoning conflict.
A chorus of boos rang out, continuing for nearly half a minute and twice interrupting Markey’s attempts to finish his speech at the rally in solidarity with Israel.
Yet for some on the far left — like the pro-Palestine Democratic Socialists of America chapters in Boston and Worcester that are calling for an end to U.S. military support for Israel — Markey’s calls for a diplomatic solution don’t go far enough.
Monday’s rally, organized by Jewish groups and attended by several prominent politicians, put on full display the divides among top Massachusetts Democrats — and the party writ large — about how to approach the escalating crisis in the Middle East that’s taken the lives of at least 11 U.S. citizens and
