Lawmakers wrote in disclosures that the trip would help “strengthen the commonwealth’s partnership with Israel” and allow them to connect with Israeli officials, innovators, and others.
In interviews, several lawmakers described it as an emotionally visceral trip that included a visit to the site of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack at the Tribe of Nova music festival. Hamas militants killed 1,200 people, including in their homes and at the festival, and took hundreds more hostage.
The trip took place amid growing pressure on Israel to end the war and mounting accusations that the country’s leadership is perpetuating war crimes in Gaza. Last week , as the American lawmakers visited, independent experts commissioned by the United Nations Human Rights Council accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, an allegation Israel rejected. More than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza during the military campaign, and the vast majority of the population has been displaced.
On Friday, dozens of diplomats at the UN General Assembly walked out as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a speech telling world leaders that Israel “must finish the job” against Hamas in Gaza.
Silvia, a Fall River Democrat, said he’s fielded texts and emails criticizing him for attending the trip while Israel is being accused of genocide.
“The genocide took place on Oct. 7 two years ago,” Silvia said in an interview, referring to the killing Hamas unleashed on Israelis. “There’s a lot of misinformation that we know that exists on the Internet. It’s disturbing. If Israel wanted to commit genocide, they can do it in 15 minutes.”
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs covered $6,500 in costs for each individual lawmaker’s transportation, meals, and luxury hotel stays as they traveled around the country, according disclosures filed by Kane, Muradian, and Saunders.
From Sept. 14 to 18, lawmakers visited Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, among other locations. In a social media video posted by Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the delegation planted 50 trees in the Ofakim Forest in the Negev Desert — one for each US state.
American officials also dined with Israel’s president Isaac Herzog, who serves a mostly symbolic role, and received a strategic briefing by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar. Netanyahu also addressed lawmakers in a keynote address.
Durant, a Spencer Republican, said the trip helped give him a new perspective on the “scope of the terrorism that’s taken place from Hamas.”
“It’s not that I was anti-Israel or skeptical [before]; they were doing the right thing,” he said of Israeli officials. “But you see a lot of white-washing going on. Israel is losing the PR war. When you hear these personal stories [from Oct. 7] . . . this was an attack that was vicious, it was purely based on terror. ”
Durant also echoed a line he said he heard from Israeli leaders about accusations they’ve committed genocide.
“If they’re committing genocide, they’re really bad at it,” he said.
Rausch, a Needham Democrat, said the trip itself was “extremely emotional and extremely powerful.” But she said she also was disappointed lawmakers did not have the opportunity to question Netanyahu or meet with members of the opposition party in the Knesset, Israel’s legislative body.
She said going on the trip also is “not an endorsement of the decisions and actions of the Israeli government,” many of which with she said she disagrees.
“We have to engage with each other and find potential paths forward. We have to,” she said. “I wanted more of that.”
Others suggested the current environment weighed on the trip. Muradian, a Grafton Republican, said the “deeply sensitive nature of this visit was not lost on me, and was an ever-present reality.”
“The longstanding conflict between Israelis and Palestinians is a source of profound hardship and pain for many families and communities,” he said in a statement. “Working towards a better future as an elected official includes engaging in these complexities with a focused commitment on making things better.”
Massachusetts legislators can legally accept free or subsidized travel, including from foreign governments, as long as they disclose the details and value of the travel. They must also sign a document affirming it serves a legitimate public purpose that “outweighs any special non-work related benefit,” either to them or the entity paying for the trip.
In their disclosures for the Israel trip, lawmakers said they would also discuss “how innovation in Israel is addressing issues of importance” there and in Massachusetts.
Kane, a Shrewsbury Republican, said the trip allowed lawmakers to meet “people across the political spectrum.”
“Just like the United States, Israel is not a monolithic . . . it is a robust democracy,“ she said. ”Like the United States, Israeli people believe that democracies need to continue to be in dialogue both when we are in agreement, and especially when we are not.”
Saunders, a Belchertown Democrat, said his “most meaningful moments came in conversations with everyday Israelis” who, like some Americans he said, “are troubled by the direction” of the country.
“These exchanges provided valuable perspective on the challenges and complexities facing the region and underscored the importance of people-to-people connections in shaping a more peaceful and prosperous future,” he said.
Many Massachusetts leaders have traveled to Israel over the years. In 2011 and then again in 2014, then-governor Deval Patrick visited the country, and in 2016, former governor Charlie Baker and Massachusetts lawmakers took separate trips to Israel, financed by groups opposed to the anti-Israel boycott movement.
Baker took a six-day tour paid for by Combined Jewish Philanthropies and Massachusetts House members took a 10-day trip paid for by the Jewish Community Relations Council.
In January, state Senator John Velis, who has helped lead a state commission panel investigating antisemitism in Massachusetts, visited Israel as part of a contingent of New England-area lawmakers.