About 600 residents attended the town meeting. Critics of the decision to approve the request called it “a cowardly show of defeat to an anti-Israel mob.” The flag was raised at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday morning. The town is led by Democrats. Pro-Palestinian supporters have asked for weeks for the town to fly that flag since an Israeli flag was raised after the October 7 massacres in Israel by Hamas. The Israeli flag flew from October 7 to November 9.

On October 16, student Selma Khayal requested that the Palestinian flag be flown from November 7th until December 7th.

The issue was debated on Monday night for an hour before the town’s select board voted unanimously in favor of raising it.

Jenna Khayal, whose sister filed the permit for the flag, said: ‘Palestine is still under siege. The people in Gaza are still suffering, they are still being bombarded.

‘This flag represents its people. It represents the culture. It is not a terrorist flag, and we will not let it be misconstrued that way.’

That is where the rub comes in. Pro-Palestinian supporters argue that the Palestinian flag represents the people of Palestine, not Hamas. These are the same people who argue that Hamas is a political group, not terrorists. However, the Palestinian people overwhelmingly elected Hamas as their political leader, so Hamas does represent Palestine. The Palestinian people know Hamas and what Hamas does. They voted for it. There has been no move to oust Hamas since they were put in power.

The local Jewish community criticized the decision. A rabbi who leads Congregation Ahavat Olam said the community is disappointed. He said the Palestinian flag “represents hatred, represents war, represents anti-Semitism.” The Israeli flag was raised in solidarity with an American ally.

There was antisemitic hate on display at the town meeting. Some in attendance began chanting, “‘From the river to the sea.” That is a call for genocide of the Israelis and Jews. Hamas wants Israel eliminated. Hearing Americans on college campuses and in public demonstrations break into that chant is surreal. Ironically, it is the pro-Hamas chorus that accuses Israel of acts of genocide. Those who were chanting during the town meeting were removed.

The meeting had to be postponed for a week due to threats of litigation and public safety concerns. There was a large police presence at the meeting.

Supporters said that if the Israeli flag could fly at the town common, so could the Palestinian flag.

Marc Freedman, president of the Congregation Ahavat Olam in North Andover, voiced his disgust. He was horrified by the decision. He said the town leaders are cowards. ‘I don’t believe the flag should have been raised because today it is a symbol of hatred and antisemitism.’ He’s not wrong. I think a majority of Americans would have the same opinion. Those outside the pro-Hamas bubble do not call for ceasefire and do not support the existence of Hamas.

North Andover’s representative in the House, Democrat Rep. Seth Moulton, went full political hack and blamed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the Hamas massacres in Israel. He said the war “probably” would not have begun if Netanyahu was not in power. He called Netanyahu a “total disaster” but stopped short of calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Moulton blames Israel for the attacks, blaming the victims for the crime. Classy. He is calling for more humanitarian pauses.

Moulton should know that Hamas planned the attack on Israel for several years – the planning began before Netanyahu came back into power. This is not the time for partisan finger-pointing by American Democrats. It is time to show moral clarity and support Israel and her right to defend herself. That includes eliminating Hamas. The argument could be made that a weak United States had a role in the boldness of Hamas. Hamas has been in control of Gaza since 2006. Why did Hamas begin the plan of attack around the time Biden took office? Is that just a coincidence? I don’t believe in coincidence in world events.

The town’s flag policy has been changed. The request to fly the Palestinian flag came on October 16. That was hours before the town updated its policies. The town manager said that flags could no longer be flown.

In Worcester, the second-largest city in Massachusetts, the Palestinian flag was raised in front of City Hall. It seems to have the same policies that North Andover had before its policy change. Ironically, those who made the request say the flag is a symbol of peace.

“It’s a symbol of peace. A message of hope,” said Tahir Ali with the Islamic Society of Greater Worcester. The society made the formal request to raise and display the flag on the city’s cultural flagpole, said Ali. It appeared on the pole Thursday and is expected to come down a week later, according to a city spokesman.

It follows a one-week display last month of the Israeli flag on the same flagpole days after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants that sparked the conflict. The Jewish Federation of Central Massachusetts requested the Israeli flag appear on the pole.

City government has a formal process for flags displayed on the pole including that it’s done in a “consistent and appropriate manner,” according to the city’s website. Requests are considered on a first-come-first-serve basis and the city’s human rights policy guides decisions for permitting the display of cultural flags.

The city’s website said that typically the flags are flown for a 24-hour period.

I’m with the man who said that only the American flag should be flown on public property. I understand wanting to fly the flags but this is America and we have one flag that should be flown in front of government buildings and town squares.