SALEM — North Shore residents gathered yet again outside Congressman Seth Moulton’s office in Salem Thursday to demand an immediate, permanent ceasefire in the ongoing conflict with Israel and Hamas.
They also lobbied for a complete halt to U.S. aid for Israel, removal of the Israeli blockade of aid to Gaza, and a resumption of U.S. funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
The demonstration in Salem was one of 10 rallies organized statewide by Massachusetts Peace Action on the same day, calling for immediate action by local representatives.
In Salem, protesters marched from Lappin Park to Moulton’s office on Front Street to read aloud a letter signed by the groups Northshore for Palestine, Palestinian House of New England, Massachusetts Peace Action, and Jewish Voice for Peace Boston — all of whom had members in attendance.
The letter reads: “As the circumstances in Gaza are continuing to worsen, with nowhere left for Palestinians to go, Israel continues its threat of expulsion or certain death for the 2 million people living in Gaza. This cannot go on — the genocide must be stopped. For the last five months, a ceasefire has been demanded across borders by millions, yet it has not been enough.
“We need to amplify our voices by coming together in sync, and demanding our government to stand on the right side of justice. We demand an immediate ceasefire for Gaza, no more assault on Rafah, a complete halt to U.S. military aid and weapons for Israel, and a resumption of U.S. funding for the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA.”
More than 30,000 Palestinians, the majority of whom are women and children, have been killed in Gaza, according to Palestinian authorities, since Israel’s military response to the Oct. 7 brutal surprise attacks by Hamas, which killed more than 1,400 Israelis, mostly civilians, and saw more than 200 people taken hostage.
The ongoing humanitarian crisis in the region has also displaced nearly 1.9 million Palestinians from their homes, pushing them south towards the Rafah crossing. Despite growing calls to halt their military offensive, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to “finish the job,” as a member of his War Cabinet threatened to invade Rafah if remaining Israeli hostages are not freed by the upcoming Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
On Thursday, the protesters also left a grim display on the sidewalk outside Moulton’s office — bundles of white sheets, each tied with ropes and painted with red, were piled up to represent civilian deaths, along with stuffed bears and a sign calling for Moulton to “stop supporting Israel’s genocide in Gaza.”
“We live in a world where the cries of the oppressed are met with silence of those who wield power — among them stand Seth Moulton, whose complicity with the genocide being committed in Gaza cannot go unnoticed,” said Sabrina Zemlyansky, a 19-year-old Jewish woman and president of Students for Justice in Palestine at Salem State University.
“Congressman Moulton has failed to uphold the values of justice, human rights and dignity. Instead, he has turned a blind eye to the suffering of innocent civilians, ignoring the illegal occupation, displacement and violence inflicted upon the Palestinian people by the Israeli government,” she said.
“His silence speaks volumes as Palestinian homes are demolished, families are torn apart and children are killed and senseless acts of violence. His inaction has emboldened the perpetrators of these crimes and perpetuates the cycle of oppression and injustice.
“It is time for Congressman Moulton to listen to the voices of the oppressed, and the people that he meant to serve, and stand on the right side of history to condemn the injustice being perpetrated in Palestine, and call for a permanent, immediate ceasefire.”
Michael McHugh can be contacted at mmchugh@northofboston.com or at 781-799-5202