On Sept. 19, U.S. Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt. described the Israel–Hamas war using long-debunked accusations and recycled falsehoods.
Since then, a cease-fire has taken effect, and Hamas has returned all the hostages, marking what would be the first genocide in history conducted on a schedule set by its alleged victims.
With the end of this two-year war, we must turn our attention to how Hamas successfully spread antisemitic hate while deceiving many leaders of the free world, despite their own statement of genocidal intent.
On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas didn’t just launch a physical assault on Israel; they waged a propaganda war that flooded the media with misleading images and catchy slogans.
This campaign poisoned public discourse, radicalized the impressionable and gave moral cover to a surge of antisemitic hate crimes and rhetoric worldwide. Repeating these libels cements falsehoods as facts and lays the foundation for excusing violence against Jews everywhere.
Taken together, the details reveal a starkly different reality from Balint’s message. The report to which she is responding is the work of what we consider a skewed anti-Israel body.
The United Nations General Assembly issued a total of 254 condemnatory rulings between 2015-2025, with 173 aimed at Israel — 68% of the body’s total. That record alone should give pause before treating the U.N.’s judgment as credible evidence of wrongdoing.
According to COGAT, the Israeli government body that coordinates civilian affairs in Gaza, more than 2 million tons of humanitarian aid have entered the territory since the war began.
Meanwhile, Hamas has been accused of hijacking convoys, stealing aid, reselling supplies at extortionate prices and assaulting civilians trying to access relief. Hundreds of trucks have been filmed sitting idle inside Gaza with food aid left to spoil.
Balint also cites the deceptively named International Association of Genocide Scholars. What goes unmentioned is the IAGS policy of open membership to anyone willing to pay a $30 fee. After scrutiny, their public member list was quietly removed and social media accounts were deactivated.
Most misleading is the lack of context around casualty reports. The Gaza Health Ministry is controlled by Hamas, a designated terrorist organization since 1997, and makes no distinction between combatant and civilian casualties. To repeat their figures without scrutiny is to launder propaganda at the expense of those forced to confront them.
Genocide isn’t something one believes in. It is legally defined with historical precedent. To that end, we, the undersigned residents of Vermont, denounce Balint’s statement as careless and harmful. We expect our representatives to prioritize facts, the rule of law and the safety of constituents here at home.
Vermont Friends of Israel
Mark Treinkman, President, Athens; Rachel Feldman, Moretown; Ari Moskowitz, Burlington; Eileen H. Arama, Townshend; Topaz Weiss, Burlington; Ethel Goldstein, Westford; Marina Shpaner, Colchester; Michael Gantt, Brattleboro; Ed Grossman, Chester; Jeff Levine, Guilford; Draizy Junik, Burlington; Lorraine Marucci Westcott, Newfane; Ernest Herz, South Burlington; Caryn Schwartz Oliveti, Burlington; Nancy Goodhue, Brattleboro; Sheldon Wein, Wilmington; Denise Gebroe, Proctorsville; Melissa Mendelsohn, Charlotte; Dr. Jan Feldman, Northfield; Elizabeth Morse, Brattleboro; Rick Westcott, Newfane; Chaim Lodish, Burlington; Monica Schwartzbach, Ludlow; Rabbi Seth Daniel Reimer, Bennington; Allison Fulcher, Royalton; Miriam Ben-Dor, Barre; Karen Shapiro, Putney; Jamie Margolis, Brattleboro; Nicholas Whitten, St. Albans; Gittel Grossman, South Burlington; Zohar Arama, Townshend; Daphne Moritz, Hartford; Corinna Dodson, Barnard; Tim Wessel, Brattleboro; Chaya Jacobs, Burlington; Tehila Marks, Putney; Emily Jo Wiadro, Newfane; Richard Orlan, Westminster; Bruce Sweeter, Brattleboro; Molly Ritvo, Burlington; Linda Rinder, Putney; Sergey Shpaner, Colchester; Yulia Basina, Essex Junction; John Eckerson, Westford; Yaeko Elmaleh, Wilmington; Caleb Miner, Wilmington; Margie Pivar, Brattleboro; Pastor Bill Simmons, St. Albans; Leesette Bengar, Brattleboro; Beth Orlan, Westminster; Chelsa Roy, Springfield; Giselle Aben, Essex Junction; Linda Coloumbe, St. Albans; Ed Wolfstein, Burlington; Levi Gottlieb, Proctorsville; Jeffrey Morse, Brattleboro; Martin Cohn, Springfield; Ohad Yavkovski, Reading; Cina Friend, Newfane; Howard Prussack, Westminster; Wolfgang Hokenmaier, South Burlington; Jeff Bodge, Newfane; Bruce Saul, Williamsville; Valerie Weinstein Lodish, Burlington; Cris White, Newfane; Sheyna Rose, Rockingham; Mark Berman, Athens; Tori Whitten, St. Albans; Jacquelyn Rose, Winhall; Janice Nadworny, Hinesburg; Ilana Siegelman, Colchester; Meredith White, Newfane; Suz Seymour, Fairfield; Marlene Wein, Wilmington; Eva Wasserman-Margolis, Brattleboro; Deb Wien, Colchester; Larry Gutterman, Winhall; Rabbi Binyamin Murray, Middlebury; Alice Berliner, Norwich; Dr. Craig Rinder, Putney; Sally Herschorn, Burlington.
