Massachusetts Democrats Defeat Resolution Calling Israeli Settlements ‘Obstacles To Peace’

BOSTON (JTA) — An effort to amend the Massachusetts Democratic Party’s platform with language that call Israel’s settlements in the West Bank “obstacles to peace” was ruled out of order at the state’s convention, ending a months-long effort to push through the controversial resolution.
The move by proponents to amend the party’s platform at the full state convention on Saturday followed a failed attempt last April to have the party adopt a resolution on “peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians” that singled out Israeli settlements in the West Bank without mention of Palestinian violence.
The proposed resolution, submitted by a long-time party activist, stated that “Israelis and Palestinians deserve to live in peace and security,” and cited a July, 2016 State Department declaration that opposed settlement activity. It called on the state’s U.S. Congressional delegation to oppose Israeli settlements in pursuing a negotiated peace.
State party leaders and Jewish communal organizational leaders vehemently opposed the resolution, calling it unbalanced and one-sided. S
The resolution called for a two-state solution to the conflict between Israel and its Palestinian neighbors and declared that “Israelis deserve security, recognition, and a normal life free from terror and incitement. Palestinians should be free to govern themselves in their own viable state, in peace and dignity.”
The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Most Popular
- 1
Opinion The dangerous Nazi legend behind Trump’s ruthless grab for power
- 2
Opinion A Holocaust perpetrator was just celebrated on US soil. I think I know why no one objected.
- 3
Culture Did this Jewish literary titan have the right idea about Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling after all?
- 4
Opinion I first met Netanyahu in 1988. Here’s how he became the most destructive leader in Israel’s history.
In Case You Missed It
-
Culture Trump wants to honor Hannah Arendt in a ‘Garden of American Heroes.’ Is this a joke?
-
Opinion Gaza and Trump have left the Jewish community at war with itself — and me with a bad case of alienation
-
Fast Forward Trump administration restores student visas, but impact on pro-Palestinian protesters is unclear
-
Fast Forward Deborah Lipstadt says Trump’s campus antisemitism crackdown has ‘gone way too far’
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
Republish This Story
Please read before republishing
We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:
- Credit the Forward
- Retain our pixel
- Preserve our canonical link in Google search
- Add a noindex tag in Google search
See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.
To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.