Residents of a Massachusetts community remain divided on whether a Palestinian flag should be raised to fly above the town commons from now until December.
A heated town meeting saw tempers flare over a teenage resident’s request for the flag to be flown on the North Andover Town Common, but ultimately, officials agreed to approve a permit for the flag on Monday evening. An Israeli flag has been flying in the same spot since last month, and Palestine supporters said they should have the same right.
On October 7, the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a deadly attack on southern Israel. Israel subsequently launched its heaviest-ever airstrikes on Gaza as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war. As of Tuesday, more than 11,000 peoplehave been killed in Gaza, and about 2,700 people have been reported missing, the Associated Press said, citing the Gaza Health Ministry. At least 1,200 people were killed in Israel and over 200 taken as hostages by Hamas, according to the Associated Press.
The conflict has reverberated globally, and supporters of both sides have clashed in cities around the world. The U.S. has seen violence at demonstrations and attacks against Muslims and Jewish people since the war began.
Previous attempts to hold the North Andover Select Board meeting were delayed amid safety concerns, and there was a heavy police presence at Monday’s meeting as a precautionary measure. Several people were escorted out of the venue after shouting slogans or refusing to allow others to speak, Boston news channel WCVB reported.
Getty Images
So many residents intended to come that the town was even forced to find a bigger venue and used North Andover High School instead of the Town Hall in order to fit the hundreds of residents inside, WCBV said.
Resident Brian Buzby spoke to Boston 25 News after attending the meeting and said: “It was pretty heated…there are those that look at the Palestinian flag as a symbol of hate.”
Another resident, Salma Boulal, told the station there was “a lot of tension, a lot of opposition” during the discussion. She added: “If Israel gets their flag to fly in the North Andover common then Palestinians deserve that same right.”
Rabbi Idan Irelander disagreed, telling WCVB: “The Israeli flag was flown in support for an American ally who experienced massacre, unlike the Palestinian flag that, to many of us represents—again, I’m sorry—Hamas.”
Teenager Selma Khayal, 18, was the resident who had requested to have the Palestinian flag flown. Many in the meeting were dismayed when the town approved the request, but others whooped, applauded, and cheered.
Khayal later told WCVB 5: “This is what’s fair. This is a representation that we’ve been waiting for. And it’s not a victory just for me; it’s a victory for Palestinians—they’re the ones I’m doing this for.”
North Andover Town Manager Melissa Rodrigues said a policy allowing residents to apply to fly a flag of their choice had resulted “in that flagpole being considered a public forum.” Rodrigues added that a previous Supreme Court ruling involving another city and involving the right to free speech meant that: “The content or the subject matter of a flag cannot be considered when reviewing an application.”
However, the town has now changed its policy and will no longer accept applications from residents to have flags raised on the common.
Khayal’s application to fly the Palestinian flag was submitted on October 16, just hours before the town updated its flag policy, meaning it was considered and approved under the old rules.
The flag will be flown for a month from Tuesday, and it will be the last time a resident’s choice of flag will fly above North Andover’s common.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.