Town flying Palestinian flag on public flagpole sparks outrage
President of Congregation Ahavat Olam Marc Freedman on why he doesn't approve of flying the Palestinian flag and what it represents to him since the war began in Israel
A local Jewish leader spoke out on "FOX & Friends" Thursday after his Massachusetts town approved a permit to allow a Palestinian flag to fly in town.
Marc Freedman, president of Congregation Ahavat Olam in North Andover, said the flag was now a "symbol of antisemitism" following the Oct. 7 attacks.
"It is a symbol to just eliminate the entire Jewish population," he said.
Town officials approved a permit Monday allowing the Palestinian flag to be flown on the North Andover Town Common.
A Palestinian flag flies above the Town Common in North Andover, Mass. (WBZ)
"I think they're just a bunch of cowards. They took a legal initiative, a legal statement from council that said you need to follow specific guidelines and must raise this flag, when in their hearts, in their hearts, I know every single one of them did not want to raise their flag," he said.
He said the council put personal concerns ahead of the town and added, "that's not what leadership does."
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"North Andover is an incredibly comfortable, friendly, welcoming town. It's not antisemitic, we've got a wonderful police department that keeps us safe. But man, these select board members just wilted under pressure and frankly, had already made the decision to say ‘yes, this flag is going up,’ before public comment was even heard," he said.
Freedman said his congregation, which started in North Andover in July 2022, was feeling a sense of unease.
He said he has also received an enormous amount of support.
People hold banners and Palestinian flag as they gather to protest against the Israeli attacks on Gaza near the Capitol Building in Washington DC, United States on October 18, 2023. (Photo by Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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The town has allowed an Israeli flag to fly in the Town Common since early October, when Hamas launched an attack on Israel.
Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, recently called attention to a measure he introduced that would prevent funding for any non-American flags displayed in the halls of Congress after the office of Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., was pictured with a Palestinian flag out front.
Anti-war activists wave their flags as they protest outside of The White House during a pro-Palestinian demonstration asking for a cease fire in Gaza in Washington, Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
"The halls of Congress belong to America," Miller wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, in October. "They should be reserved for flags that embody our great nation. The Palestinian flag should not have a place here. That’s why I sponsored an appropriations amendment to end this silliness."
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