We, the undersigned citizens of Vermont, state our procedural and moral opposition to the Apartheid Free Community (AFC) pledge and respectfully request that Vermont leaders not place this divisive, non-binding article on city and town ballots for vote on Town Meeting Day.
Vermont leaders, in more than 40 cities and towns, are being pressured by The Vermont Coalition for Palestinian Liberation, Vermonters for Justice in Palestine, and similar activist groups , to sign a pledge declaring themselves “apartheid-free.”
The pledge we oppose can be found here: https://www.vermontcpl.org/apartheid-free-community.
By declaring Israel a genocidal, settler-colonialist, apartheid regime, Vermont communities position themselves as arbiters of a foreign conflict. Our leaders must focus on local Vermont issues such as: property taxes, budget gaps, education, healthcare, crime, poverty, and housing.
Vermont leaders have no influence over international affairs, and such declarations are purely performative, with no effect on foreign policy or the outcome of the conflict. Additionally, under Skiff v. South Burlington, municipalities are not required under state law to present non-binding advisory articles unrelated to municipal business, pursuant to 17 V.S.A. §§ 2642–2643.
While framed under the language of liberation and justice, the pledge addresses a legally unsettled and controversial international dispute. Locally, this pledge has already undercut the democratic process, with residents who oppose it publicly criticized or accused of supporting crimes against humanity based solely on their political views or nationality. The impact of AFC on communities is predictably divisive which alienates and isolates Jewish residents, further eroding their safety, and the safety of all residents.
Regardless of intent, these ballot initiatives foster hostility and intimidation while undermining Vermont’s tradition of civic pluralism and respectful disagreement.
Such pledges are unrelated to municipal governance and risk importing external political conflicts into local decision-making, where they serve no governing purpose and impose division and hostility on the communities asked to adopt them.
Apartheid-Free Community (AFC) Pledge vs. Clarifications
AFC: “WE AFFIRM our commitment to freedom, justice, and equality for the Palestinian people and all people;” *
Clarification:*The only way to achieve this is through collaboration, not extremism. In Vermont, this should look like respectful dialogue about a famously complicated conflict. One-sided pledges promote division, not peace.
AFC: “WE OPPOSE all forms of racism, bigotry, discrimination, and oppression; and” *
Clarification: *This pledge promotes these stated hateful ideologies. Adopting this pledge sanctions Jew-hate, even if that was not the intention. We see this across Vermont as Jewish communities are targeted with hate under the guise of Palestinian liberation.
AFC: “WE DECLARE ourselves an Apartheid-free community and to that end,” *
Clarification: *Apartheid is a cruel system of legalized racial domination and enforced separation. Vermont communities should be free of such a system, but it is incorrect and divisive to invoke this concept using the State of Israel.
AFC: “WE PLEDGE to join others in working to end all support to Israel’s Apartheid regime, settler colonialism, and military occupation.” *
Clarification: Israel is a multi-ethnic democracy with constitutional protections for every citizen. It is not a perfect country, and it is reasonable to criticize its government, policies, and even its citizens that hold extremist or dangerous beliefs. However, reasonable criticism does not include false rhetoric, discrimination based on nationality, or calls for violence.