Political actors distort facts to vilify Israel, empowering extremist Palestinian narratives while endangering Jewish communities.
Who genuinely wants a hate crime in their community?
Judging by recent rhetoric, Vermont’s top elected officials seem disturbingly eager.
Without a hate-crime charge, without a police-supported motive, and without a single judicial finding of anti-Palestinian intent, Senators Bernie Sanders and Peter Welch, along with Representative Becca Balint, marked the two-year anniversary of the Burlington shooting by reviving a divisive myth. They chose a narrative that flatters political ideology rather than reflects the truth — a tactic reminiscent of the Dreyfus-era elites who preferred emotional fiction over uncomfortable facts.
The Rush to Manufacture a Narrative
On November 25, 2023, three Palestinian-Arab students were shot in Burlington while visiting during Thanksgiving break. Two wore keffiyehs; one suffered a life-altering spinal injury. As soon as WCAX reported the students’ identity, anti-Israel activists pounced. Jews in Vermont were targeted online, blamed without evidence, and smeared as potential perpetrators.
Within hours, groups like Vermonters for Justice in Palestine led rallies demanding the shooting be declared a hate crime, while masked Students for Justice in Palestine agitators branded campus Jewish groups as “monsters.” Social media flooded with accusations — all before police had even arrested a suspect.
The Arrest That Shattered the Activist Fairytale
Police soon detained Jason Eaton, a troubled local with mental-health issues and no record of anti-Arab animus. Despite intense political pressure, prosecutors refused to apply hate-crime charges — because the evidence failed to support them.
What investigators uncovered instead was devastating to the activists’ narrative:
- Eaton never sought out Palestinian Arabs.
The shooting appeared spontaneous as he stumbled out of his apartment. - His personal life showed instability, not ideological hatred.
- His online posts supported Palestinian causes — even defending Hamas after October 7.
This alone obliterates claims of anti-Palestinian motivation.
Yet Vermont’s media largely buried these contradictions, unwilling to risk backlash from activist groups.
The Politicians Who Chose Fantasy Over Fact
Even after the investigation concluded, Vermont’s congressional delegation refused to correct the record. Instead, they doubled down:
- Balint declared the victims were shot “for no other reason than being Palestinian.”
- Sanders and Welch submitted a Senate resolution claiming they were attacked for “wearing a scarf and speaking Arabic.”
Not one of these assertions is supported by the investigative file.
This was not error.
This was intentional deceit.
The same politicians have applauded individuals who glorify terrorism and have repeated the false claim of Israeli “genocide,” poisoning public discourse with rhetoric that endangers Jews and rewards extremism.
The Real Danger: Truth Replaced by Political Appetite
When elected officials instruct citizens to ignore law enforcement and embrace an evidence-free narrative, they erode democratic trust. They license mob logic. They intensify hostility toward Jewish Vermonters already living under escalating threats.
The core question Vermonters must ask is painfully simple:
Why are three federal representatives still promoting an unproven hate-crime story they know contradicts the facts?
The answer is equally simple:
Because truth offered no political currency — and the lie did.
