EASTHAMPTON — The City Council chamber was packed with tension Wednesday night as councilors stopped short of committing to pull $454,000 in city investments from companies tied to the Israel-Hamas war after hearing two hours of testimony for and against the idea.
The meeting opened discussion of a resolution put forth by a group called Divest Easthampton, “calling for the city to divest from entities complicit in human rights violations in Israel and Palestine.” Those in favor of the resolution outnumbered opposition, but both sides made their points.
“The same companies that we are funding, that we are invested in, are actively taking money away from Easthampton to use it for war, genocide and apartheid,” resident Ian Petty said in support of the resolution.
Resident Laurie Garcia spoke against the resolution.
“I speak today in despair as I watch the fabric of Easthampton continue to unravel. The resolution on tonight’s agenda calling for the city to divest from Israel sets up Easthampton for more division and financial hardship.”
Reactions often followed testimony from the dozens of residents who spoke, as mutters could be heard under people’s breath and body language often indicated opinions.
Discussion among councilors was brief — City Council President Koni Denham sent the resolution to subcommittee for further consideration, since it was an item for immediate consideration. No decisions were made.
Denham voiced strong support for the resolution — written by Easthampton Divest with signatures of support from more than 475 residents — but said she has an obligation as president to ensure that it does not open any legal risks for her and her fellow councilors. She will reach out to the city solicitor for advice.
“I am deeply moved by your comments, I respect your commitment to justice and the people of Palestine,” Denham said. “That being said, I’m going to ask that this be sent to committee, but I want you to know that that is a very painful decision for me.”
Legal risks are also a concern for the city as a whole. As was frequently mentioned, a lawsuit was filed against Northampton after its council passed a similar resolution, a concern that Councilor Thomas Peake noted.
“To me, the question really becomes about checks and balances about power, and frankly reading the lawsuits that have been filed against our neighbors, that seems to be the sticking point of those concerns,” Peake said.
Divest Easthampton began efforts tabling, campaigning and drafting the resolution last December with support from its sponsors, Councilors Kiam Jamrog-McQuaid and Felicia Jadczak.
The resolution would affirm the council’s commitment to aligning the city’s finances with its values, urging the city treasurer and Retirement Board to divest from companies involved with the Israeli military within two years of passage. It notes that the council passed a resolution in April 2024 calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Hoang Phan, a member of Easthampton Divest, said the group found that the city invests approximately $454,000 into companies that have been identified by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) as complicit in the Israel-Hamas war. That’s a much larger amount compared to Northampton at approximately $71,000.
“The policy recommended by this resolution does not require imprudent investments or prohibit diversification. It merely incorporates criteria limiting certain investments while leaving intact the city’s fiduciary duty,” Phan said, adding that similar divestment campaigns were conducted against companies involved in the apartheid of South Africa.
The AFSC has compiled a list of 82 companies that they say are complicit in violations of international law and human rights violations in Palestine and Israel. Easthampton’s investments are split between 11 of the companies on that list. The majority of funding, approximately $395,000, is invested in GE Aerospace, followed by $13,800 in Palantir Technologies, $9,600 in RTX Corporation and multiple smaller investments.
Eon Fontes-May called Palantir a lawless company that conducts surveillance all over the globe, including in Palestine, and RTX, formerly Raytheon, which he said tests drone technology in Gaza.
“We’re really just moving investments from some evil companies into some slightly less evil companies,” Fontes-May said.
City Treasurer Brooke Johnson told the Gazette that these numbers were calculated in December of fiscal year 2026, so they could have changed slightly since then. The city is meeting with its wealth management firm Bartholomew and Company on Sept. 16, which will show how much numbers have changed.
However, resolution opponents say legal risks are inevitable. Many called the resolution “polarizing,” feeling it will cause division in the city while also saying the City Council should not get involved in foreign affairs.
The meeting also drew a visit from Adam Solender of the Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts opposing the resolution.
Resident Neil Brick said the council’s job is to manage local infrastructure, budgets and public safety. “Debating international conflict drains our resources and distracts us from municipal duties … We cannot afford to risk tens or hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars on protected legal battles,” he said.
Resident Mike Carriveau said that there is already a lawsuit being prepared against the city for its handling of the recently passed $6.9 million Proposition 2½ override. He said there will likely be another lawsuit if the resolution is approved.
Supporters of the resolution, like Ruth Jennison, said legal threats are just a scare tactic.
“Opponents to divestment can only rely on legal intimidation,” Jennison said. “They attempt to redirect public attention away from the genocide of Palestinians by going to the courts.”
In September last year, the United Nations found that Israel committed genocide against Palestinians after Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel from the Gaza Strip in October 2023, which was reaffirmed in a report this June by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry.
The override became a recurring discussion at Wednesday’s meeting. Proponents of the resolution said that residents just voted to raise taxes, arguing those taxes should not be put toward companies on the AFSC list and could be used for many other purposes like supporting housing insecure residents.
“The U.S. backed genocide against Palestinians, which has been going on for nearly a century but has escalated in the last three years, cannot happen without the financial support of communities just like Easthampton all across this country,” said resident Molly Aronson, supporting the resolution. “It simply would not happen if cities and towns like Easthampton all across the country divested.”
Councilors sent the resolution to the Finance Committee, which includes Peake, Denham and Councilor Jonathan Schmidt.
