Sunday marked MV for Palestine’s 100th week of protest at Five Corners in Vineyard Haven.

For the past two years, demonstrators have gathered weekly at the busy intersection to peacefully protest Israel’s escalation of violence in Gaza following Hamas’s Oct. 7 attacks. At the time of writing, the death toll for Palestinians in Gaza has surpassed 68,000. 

The size of the protests fluctuates but there's always one person there.

Tim Johnson

The size of the protests fluctuates but there's always one person there.

Tim Johnson

MV for Palestine was formerly known as Ceasefire MV. David Mintz, a founder and lead organizer, said the name change was made to better match other local organizations’ pattern of convention and reflect the group’s scope.

“Ceasefire is necessary, but it’s not sufficient,” he said.

On Sunday, protesters came and went from the busy intersection as morning turned to afternoon, with anywhere between six and 10 people demonstrating at a given time. Many wore bright red t-shirts that said “stop arming Israel.” One protester held a sign urging passers-by to “say no to genocide.” A United Nations commission declared Israel’s war in Gaza a genocide last month.

Participation in the weekly demonstration has fluctuated over the past 100 weeks, Mr. Mintz said, with a high of about 30 protesters and all-time low of one. For Mr. Mintz and many others, speaking up is imperative.

“E​​ven if our protest has negligible or zero impact, we still would do it anyway, because the alternative — doing nothing — is morally reprehensible to us,” Mr. Mintz said. “It’s just something we have to do.”

But Mr. Mintz, and some others demonstrating on Sunday, reported a palpable shift in the Island’s perspective on Palestine that has reflected national polling data.

“I’ve tried to count the ratio of positive responses from passers-by to negative ones,” he said. “Now, it’s even more overwhelmingly positive ... than when we started.”

Several motorists passing by Sunday honked their horns and waved in support. The Gazette witnessed only one hostile incident, where a man in a truck sped by shouting expletives at protesters.

MV for Palestine organizer Linda J. Cohen was at Five Corners Sunday, flying a Palestinian flag over her shoulder. Ms. Cohen has attended all but a handful of the demonstrations over the past 100 weeks.

Ms. Cohen owns Olive Branch Fair Trade in Vineyard Haven, a specialty store selling goods from Palestine and other countries. She also runs a Monday night conversation at West Tisbury Library where people can discuss the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Ms. Cohen described growing up Jewish in a family that had a lot of affection for Israel. She described the current situation in Gaza as a “monstrous genocide” and “ethnic cleansing” and pushed back against the idea that criticizing Israel is inherently antisemitic. 

“I think anybody who thinks that this [protest] is promoting anti-semitism is not looking at what’s actually happening,” she said.

Many protesters told the Gazette they don’t plan to stop protesting as long as violence in Gaza continues. Despite a tenuous ceasefire deal brokered between Israel and Hamas on Oct. 10, Israel launched air strikes on Gaza Sunday, allegedly killing dozens of Palestinians. Both Israel and Hamas have accused the other of violating the deal.

“I don’t even call it protest, I just call it standing here with my body,” said Mark Hurwitz, who has attended 94 out of 100 demonstrations. “I don’t want to feel like [Palestinians] are forgotten. They’re still getting killed.”