Mass. at center of U.S. Israel-Palestinian protests
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Massachusetts has become one of the nation's hotbeds for Israel-Palestinian protests since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, according to a tracker from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED).
Why it matters: The fighting has raised tensions between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian factions, especially on college campuses in Greater Boston, leading to a rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia.
Driving the news: Massachusetts has seen at least 82 demonstrations between Oct. 7 and Dec. 1, per ACLED.
- 56 of those were pro-Palestine protests, 22 were pro-Israel and four were neutral.
Zoom out: Massachusetts tied with Florida with the third-most protest activity among states, behind New York (189) and California (195).
- Yes, but: The size of those states' populations could play a role. Massachusetts has by far the fewest residents of the top four; Florida's population is more than three times larger.
The big picture: As Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip have ramped up and the death toll has increased, a growing proportion of the demonstrations have been in support of Palestinians, Axios' Rahul Mukherjee and Shoshanna Gordon report.
Zoom in: Harvard's campus has become the center of controversy, from a protest that led to physical confrontations to complaints about antisemitism and Islamophobia that are now the subject of a federal investigation.
- Harvard President Claudine Gay faces criticism over her responses in a congressional hearing about antisemitism.
- U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) asked whether calling for the genocide of Jews violates Harvard's harassment policy, to which Gay responded it depends on the context.
- Gay has since apologized for her responses.
The latest: The school's board of directors met Sunday. While the agenda wasn't publicized, CNN reports that Gay's future was likely discussed.
- Hundreds of faculty signed a letter of support for Gay, following calls for her resignation.
- It comes after the University of Pennsylvania's president, who testified alongside Gay, resigned.
Meanwhile, the fallout continues. A plane flew over Harvard's campus displaying the Palestinian flag and a banner that says "Harvard hates Jews."