U.S. Sen. Eddie Markey stood up for Israel at a pro-Israel rally last week, and that was a good thing.
After all, he is a progressive who spoke to progressives at a progressive rally on a progressive issue—support for Israel.
The only thing is that he stood up for the Hamas terrorists as well.
Which is why the crowd booed him.
And if this doesn’t get him a Democrat primary opponent in 2026 when he seeks reelection at age 80 then nothing will.
And his potential opponent was right behind him waiting to speak next.
He is fellow progressive Democrat U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss, 35, of Newton who is champing at the bit to run for higher office. He was elected in 2020 to succeed Joe Kennedy III, who Markey defeated for the U.S. Senate,
The rally zeroed in the atrocities afflicted upon on innocent civilians by Hamas and its depraved killers who murdered and mutilated hundreds of Israeli women, children and the elderly in a surprise attack last weekend.
They crossed into Israel from Gaza and initiated an unheard-of bloody reign of terror, beheading children and killing 27 Americans. They also took some 150 men, women and children hostage and are holding them in tunnels.
They fired hundreds of rockets and missiles supplied by Iran into Israel killing more. It was the worst attack on Israel in 50 years.
Many in the pro-Israel rally, some waving Israeli flags, had relatives or friends who had been brutally killed, captured or are missing.
So, the last thing hundreds of Israeli supporters who showed up at Monday’s pro-Israeli Boston Common rally wanted to hear was Markey talk about some sort of moral equivalence or similarity between the two groups—the Hamas murderers and the innocent murdered.
Markey did denounce Hamas for it “heinous attacks.” But he also warned against playing into Hamas’ hand by countering violence with violence.
He said, “Hamas wants continued instability, not normalization. They gain support when there is a crisis. That is why the United States, and the international community, must keep pushing for diplomacy and the ending of casualties on all sides.”
As the boos began —and Israel was on the verge of invading Gaza to wipe out Hamas once and for all– Markey said, “There must be a de-escalation of the current violence.”
In other words, Israeli was supposed to absorb the attack and then seek to make nice with Hamas as it has done with Hamas in the past. This time it was different, and Markey should have read the room and figured it out.
But he didn’t and it’s a wonder he was just booed and not driven from the stage. He sounded like Reps. Ayanna Pressley, Rep. Ilhan Omar, Rep Cori Bush and the rest of the Hamas- supporting Squad.
While Markey has been a traditional supporter of Israel, his remarks calling for de-escalation rather than support for Israeli justice—and revenge—fell flat. He was roundly booed for a minute or so before allowed to continue.
It was bad. Massachusetts U.S. senators do not get booed. The last time it happened was more than 50 years ago when then pre-Chappaquiddick Sen. Ted Kennedy was booed off the stage by anti-Vietnam War demonstrators at a 1968 Hubert Humphry rally in Boston.
But it could be worse for Markey. Kennedy had no opponent.
Markey may have created one in Auchincloss, who looks as lean, hungry and ambitious as Markey looked when he was first elected to Congress almost fifty years ago.
Following Markey to the rostrum, Auchincloss, who is of Jewish descent, a Harvard graduate and U.S, Marine combat veteran, instantly turned Markey’s boos into resounding cheers when he clearly contradicted Markey over de-escalation.
Auchincloss said, “Now is not the time for equivocation. Hamas is an internationally recognized terrorist organization that is executing and raping civilians. Israel is a liberal democracy with the right and responsibility to defend itself and it says, ‘de-escalation is not possible when they are taking hostages.’”
While Markey did not tear up when he was booed the way Kennedy did back them, he was obviously shaken by the negative reaction he received.
Markey may believe that war is not the answer.
Sometimes it is.
Peter Lucas is a veteran Massachusetts political reporter and columnist.
