By Guy Page
Today marks the third anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, and Chronicle Conversations will speak with independent journalists Rachel Feldman and David Collier about the attack, Vermont’s political response and the continuing support in Vermont for Palestinian activist and Hartford resident Mohsen Mahdawi.
On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups launched a coordinated attack from Gaza into southern Israel during the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah. Thousands of rockets were fired into Israel as armed attackers breached the Gaza border by land and air and entered Israeli communities and military bases.
About 1,200 people were killed, most of them civilians, and more than 250 people were taken hostage. Israel responded by launching a major military campaign against Hamas in Gaza.
Vermont’s congressional delegation quickly condemned the attack.
“I absolutely condemn the horrifying attack on Israel by Hamas and Islamic Jihad,” Sen. Bernie Sanders said at 9:51 AM that morning. “There is no justification for this violence, and innocent people on both sides will suffer hugely because of it. It must end now.”
Rep. Becca Balint issued a statement at 9:10 AM.
“I’m horrified by the unprovoked attacks on Israel,” Balint said. “I stand with the people of Israel in sorrow as we learn of reported hostages and civilian deaths.”
As the Gaza war continued, however, Balint, Sanders, and Sen. Peter Welch and others shifted toward criticism of Israel’s military campaign and the civilian death toll in Gaza. Some Vermont elected officials and activists have described Israel’s actions as genocide, a characterization Israel strongly rejects.
The divide became apparent after a bipartisan group of Vermont lawmakers traveled to Israel in 2025. The trip drew criticism from progressive and pro-Palestinian activists, with one coalition calling for five participating legislators to resign.
The debate was most intense following the 2025 immigration detention of Mahdawi, a Palestinian-born Columbia University activist and lawful permanent resident living in Vermont.
Mahdawi received strong backing from Vermont political leaders after immigration authorities detained him. Legislators held press conferences supporting him, and he was applauded during an appearance at the Statehouse.
His supporters portrayed Mahdawi as a peace advocate targeted by the Trump administration because of his political speech and pro-Palestinian activism. Critics pointed to statements he had made about Israel and Hamas and argued that Vermont political leaders and news organizations were giving too little attention to those remarks.
The dispute spilled into a Statehouse press gathering when Sen. Becca White (D-Windsor) challenged Vermont Daily Chronicle’s reporting on Mahdawi. Transcript from VDC video:
“I don’t know where you’re getting your information,” White said.
“60 Minutes,” VDC responded.
White defended Mahdawi as a Vermont community member and rejected attempts to portray him as a terrorist.
“Mohsen is an individual who lives in White River Junction,” White said. “He is a peacemaker, he is a bridge builder, he is a community leader.”
Mahdawi had appeared in a lengthy “60 Minutes” interview in which he declined to give an unequivocal condemnation of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack when pressed by interviewer Lesley Stahl, instead discussing the conditions Palestinians faced and saying he had empathy for Palestinians, including Hamas members. His comments became part of the continuing dispute over how his activism should be characterized.
Some Vermont journalists also criticized VDC’s coverage of Mahdawi in private correspondence, saying it was one-sided. VDC has maintained that Mahdawi’s past statements, political activity and criminal history in Vermont are relevant parts of the public record that have received too little attention elsewhere.
Mahdawi, meanwhile, remains active in Vermont’s progressive and pro-Palestinian movement.
He is scheduled to appear Sunday, Oct. 11 at the Latchis Theatre in Brattleboro following a screening of “An Artist Responds to War,” filmmaker Robbie Leppzer’s documentary about Bread & Puppet Theater founder Peter Schumann and the theater’s anti-war activism.
The film’s promoters describe the Gaza conflict as a “genocide” and say Mahdawi will discuss growing up in the West Bank, his Columbia activism, his arrest by ICE and his continuing legal battle against deportation.
Mahdawi also spoke publicly at Bread & Puppet in Glover on Aug. 30.
Three years after the Hamas attack, Vermont’s debate over Oct. 7, Israel’s response and the state’s embrace of Mahdawi remains sharply divided.
Feldman and Collier will discuss that divide — and how they believe the attack and its aftermath have been portrayed by political leaders, activists and the media — on Chronicle Conversations.