Source: Politics<\/p>\n
BOSTON \u2014 Sen. Ed Markey stood atop the Boston Common bandstand Monday and denounced Hamas\u2019 \u201cheinous attacks\u201d on Israel to cheers from the crowd that had assembled on the grassy expanse below. Then he called for a \u201cde-escalation of the current violence\u201d from both sides of the burgeoning conflict.<\/p>\n
A chorus of boos rang out, continuing for nearly half a minute and twice interrupting Markey\u2019s attempts to finish his speech<\/a> at the rally in solidarity with Israel.<\/p>\n Yet for some on the far left \u2014 like the pro-Palestine Democratic Socialists of America chapters in Boston<\/a> and Worcester<\/a> that are calling for an end to U.S. military support for Israel \u2014 Markey\u2019s calls for a diplomatic solution don\u2019t go far enough.<\/p>\n Monday\u2019s rally, organized by Jewish groups and attended by several prominent politicians, put on full display the divides among top Massachusetts Democrats \u2014 and the party writ large \u2014 about how to approach the escalating crisis in the Middle East that\u2019s taken the lives of at least 11 U.S. citizens<\/a> and hundreds of Israelis and Palestinians.<\/p>\n On one end of the spectrum are Markey and Rep. Ayanna Pressley<\/a>, two of the most progressive members of the state\u2019s all-Democratic congressional delegation. Both have called for de-escalation, and Pressley for an \u201cimmediate ceasefire.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n On the other end is Rep. Jake Auchincloss<\/a>, a Jewish military veteran who called on President Joe Biden to send Israel \u201call military and diplomatic support necessary\u201d in its fight against the Palestinian militant group. He whipped the Boston Common crowd into frenzied cheers as he declared that \u201cde-escalation is not possible when [Hamas is] taking hostages\u201d \u2014 a direct and unmistakable rebuke of what Markey had said minutes before.<\/p>\n Then there was Gov. Maura Healey, who said that \u201cMassachusetts stands with Israel now and always.\u201d There was Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who described the U.S. as a \u201cstrong and faithful ally\u201d to Israel and said she\u2019s \u201ccommitted to Israel\u2019s safety and security.\u201d There was Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, who said \u201cBoston stands with Israel.\u201d And there was Treasurer Deb Goldberg, who called for a \u201ctwo-state solution.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n Massachusetts Democrats\u2019 disparate views serve as a microcosm of sentiments within the party that are poised to intensify should the fighting between Israel and Hamas drag on. And their divisions could become a headache for Biden, who is already facing widespread Republican criticism of his administration\u2019s policies in the Middle East as he navigates another test of his leadership<\/a> abroad and at home.<\/p>\n