Anti-Israel coalition asks for resignations, ethics probe

By Guy Page and Bill Moore

An anti-Israel coalition called on five Vermont legislators to resign during a press conference Tuesday at the Statehouse, alleging ethical concerns over their participation in a September, 2025 trip to Israel.

One of the five lawmakers says she fears for her safety following the action taken by the Vermont Coalition for Palestinian Liberation, an umbrella organization that includes several Vermont socialist groups.

“I am disturbed and unsettled by the reaction of a small number of people to my trip to Israel. I have been threatened and fear for my safety at this point. I took the trip to learn and ask tough questions,” Rep. Gina Galfetti (R-Barre Town) said in a statement forwarded to VDC and also published in the local Rutland Herald/Times-Argus. Galfetti, who also condemned the Netanyahu government’s actions in Gaza, said the group has “pushed an incendiary false narrative designed to spread disinformation and increase political discord.”

The press conference calling for legislators who visited Israel to resign and also face an ethics probe was organized by a Chittenden County state senator who herself visited a foreign country in her official capacity in March during the 2025 legislative session. Sen. Tanya Vyhovsky (D/P Chittenden Central) opened the event Tuesday saying she had “invited the VT Coalition for Palestinian Liberation to the Statehouse to share this message today…”.

Vyhovsky was a featured speaker in the ‘Ukraine Solidarity Campaign’ in London and Brussels in March. Her absence led Senate leaders to delay a vote on repealing the Clean Heat Standard. 

Reps. Will Greer (D-Bennington), Matthew Birong (D-Vergennes), Sarita Austin (D-Colchester), James Gregoire (R-Fairfield), and Galfetti visited Israel in September as part of a State of Israel outreach to state legislators. The Vermont Legislature was not in session then. 

Speakers and sponsoring organizations included VCPL, Jewish Voice for Peace Vermont–New Hampshire, Rev. Chelsea Page of the United Church of Christ in Burlington, Rural Vermont, and Migrant Justice. Ashley Smith of VCPL emceed the event, reading a statement from Mohsen Mahdawi and delivering a Migrant Justice statement at the close.

VCPL and allied groups repeated claims that five Vermont legislators violated ethical standards by accepting travel to Israel, urging their resignation and calling for stricter ethics rules. Speakers did not allege that the trips violated any specific law or legislative rule, but said the travel conflicted with the political and ideological views of pro-Palestinian groups.

Central to the message was a petition urging lawmakers to “uphold Vermont’s values,” demand the resignations, and pass H.168, which VCPL described as a bill to defend “freedom of speech for all activists, including Palestinians and Palestinian solidarity activists.” No specific examples of activists being denied free speech were cited during the event.

The five legislators targeted by the campaign have publicly defended the trip, describing it as a fact-finding and cultural exchange opportunity. They have said they do not intend to resign and emphasized that the itinerary allowed interaction with a wide range of Israelis, including Jewish, Christian, Muslim, secular, and Arab citizens. Trip organizers and participants have stated that conversations with Arab Israelis were neither restricted nor discouraged.

Critics argued the legislators failed to visit Gaza; supporters of the trip countered that travel warnings from the U.S. State Department and Israeli authorities made such travel unsafe at the time of the September 2025 visit.

Legislative attendance at the press conference was sparse, which observers described as unusual for advocacy events at the Statehouse. Only Vyhovsky and Rep. Saudia LaMont (D–Lamoille-Washington) were noted as attending. It was unclear whether either spoke at the event, and organizers did not open the floor to questions, citing time constraints and the need to clear the room for the next event. Press attendance, however, was robust.

The coalition said it has filed or plans to file submissions with the Vermont Ethics Commission, joined by Jewish Voice for Peace Vermont–New Hampshire, asking the House Ethics Panel to find that the legislators accepted gifts in violation of 3 VSA §1203(b) and (g). The groups also alleged, without presenting evidence at the event, that the legislators were invited “primarily to be lobbied by high government officials” with an expectation of supporting Israel-friendly legislation in Vermont.

No findings have been issued by the Ethics Commission, and the legislators involved have denied any wrongdoing.

“The most recent bi-partisan international trip of five Vermont State Representatives has garnered much attention. This is not the first international trip taken by Vermont State Representatives and it will not be the last,” said House Minority Leader Pattie McCoy. ‘We support State Representatives who reach out and travel to engage in, and build, international relations. Through these efforts Vermont has built business partners that continue to increase our economic presence globally, allowing Vermont businesses to grow and thrive.”