In a landmark decision, five towns in Vermont USA voted to cut economic ties with Israel. The towns are Brattleboro, Newfane, Plainfield, Thetford and Winooski.

It is a milestone in that it is the first time a question about Palestine has been entered on ballots in municipalities. In fact, it was added to ballots in nine municipalities, but was passed on five.

“We are on a tidal wave of change,” said Vermont Coalition for Palestinian Liberation member Wafic Faour. “Being able to grow enough support to put it on the ballot in nine municipalities is a win by itself.

“Never in the history of this country has the question of Palestine been put to a vote.”

The episode is in contrast to Burlington, the most populous city in Vermont with 44,000 residents. There, law-makers blocked the initiative from reaching its ballot last December.

“With their support for the apartheid-free pledge, Vermonters are drawing a line in the sand – not between Jewish and Muslim communities, or progressive and conservative communities, but between those who are willing to make a principled stand for peace and justice and those who would rather sweep our differences and disagreements under the rug,” said Zoe Jannuzi of the AFSC’s U.S. Palestine Activism Program.

“I’m so proud that voters in five Vermont towns have, through democratic processes, stated their opposition to Israeli apartheid.

“This historic achievement not only demonstrates the principled and dedicated work of local organizers, but also the readiness of people in the United States to act to end the harms our government is a participant in – Israeli apartheid, settler colonialism, and military occupation.”

The five towns have a combined population of over 25,500. This may seem like a small, insignificant number.

However, the decision sent shockwaves around the pro-Israeli lobby, who went into overdrive. Some select board members received 5,000 emails urging them to reject the measure.

Vast overexaggeration

The Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa campaign targets Israeli army soldiers serving since 7 October 2023, and holidaying in New Zealand, but has been deliberately misrepresented as targeting “Israeli and Jewish people in Aotearoa New Zealand”.

Similarly, the Vermont resolution targeted “Israeli apartheid, settler colonialism, and military occupation” – in a word, Zionism – but has been misrepresented as targeting groups outside the Middle East.

One pro-Israel letter referred to the resolutions as “an attack on the history, memory, and safety of Jewish people”, a vast overexaggeration.

As pointed out elsewhere, groups of Jews regularly attend the pro-Palestine anti-Zionism weekend rallies in New Zealand.