Ohio State Sen. Beth Liston, D-Dublin, canceled a trip to Israel at the last minute after backlash from constituents, according to posts on social media.
She didn’t join a delegation of 250 U.S. state legislators from all 50 states visiting Israel this week, according to The Times of Israel and Jerusalem Post. According to Israeli media, it’s the largest-ever bipartisan delegation of American lawmakers to visit Israel. The delegation’s travel to the conference is being paid for entirely by Israel.
The trip comes as the United Nations Commission of Inquiry concluded on Sept. 16 that Israel committed genocide in Gaza.
Liston said she had hoped to learn and ask tough questions of the Israeli government, particularly related to humanitarian aid in Gaza.
“I am grateful to the constituents who helped me see the harm of this approach,” Liston said in posts on X and Facebook over the weekend.
More news: Israel says ‘Gaza is burning’ as it launches ground assault
Liston’s posts went viral. On X, her post got 3 million views, and the Jerusalem Post wrote about her.
Liston said on social media that as a Democrat minority member of Ohio’s Republican-controlled legislature, much of her effectiveness comes from asking questions in committee. She said she studied and met with Jewish and Palestinian constituents in preparation for the trip.
“What I decided was that I didn’t just need to guard against propaganda. I WAS the propaganda in this sponsored trip,” she said. “I did not want to be used as a tool in support of the Israeli goverment (sic) actions. I cancelled the trip.”
Ohio State Sen. Beth Liston, D-Dublin, canceled a trip to Israel after backlash.
A new nonprofit called Baladna: Palestine Society of Columbus made a post on Instagram celebrating Liston’s response after “a local community effort encouraging her to reconsider.”
“It’s rare for a politician to actually listen and respond to their community’s concerns, particularly when it comes to Palestine,” said local organizer Noura Dabdoub in an online post from the Palestine Society of Columbus. “We appreciate Senator Liston’s willingness to learn and change course.”
Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Since then, Israel’s military operations in Gaza have killed more than 65,000 Palestinians as of Sept. 17, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which is controlled by Hamas. According to the United Nations and World Health Organization, a man-made famine is escalating in the territory, causing deaths.
Liston did not respond to a phone call seeking comment on Sept. 17. Casey Rife, a spokesperson for Ohio Senate Democrats, said she would get answers to Dispatch questions via email but could not immediately provide comment.
Government and politics reporter Jordan Laird can be reached at jlaird@dispatch.com. Follow her on X, Instagram and Bluesky at @LairdWrites.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State Senator Beth Liston cancels trip to Israel after backlash
