Ohio State Senator Beth Liston (D) cancelled her upcoming legislative trip to Israel, citing that she did not want to be used as a propaganda tool in support of the actions of the Israeli government, she had posted on Twitter/X on Saturday.
She had explained that initially, she had hoped to use her trip to Israel to learn and "ask tough questions" of the actions of the Israeli government in relation to the aid situation in Gaza; however, her constituents "helped her see the harm of this approach."
"As a minority member in the Ohio legislature, much of my effectiveness is in committee, asking questions - with the goal of pointing out issues and improving policy. It was this I had in mind as part of the Ohio delegation on this trip."
She explained that in preparation for the trip, she studied history books, news articles, and reports, as well as meeting with Jewish and Palestinian constituents in order to "arm myself against biased one-sided perspectives," along with her list of questions.
After conducting all her research, she decided she no longer needed to learn more or ask any additional questions, as she had determined she would just be a tool.
"What I decided was that I didn’t just need to guard against propaganda. I WAS the propaganda in this sponsored trip. I did not want to be used as a tool in support of the Israeli government's actions. I cancelled the trip."
Pro-Palestine groups celebrated Liston's decision as an "Advocacy win!"
The Palestinian society of Columbus wrote on their website, "After hearing that the local senator was intending on participating in this trip sponsored by a foreign government, a local grassroots effort emerged to encourage Senator Liston to cancel her plans."
The community members urged Senator Liston not to join the Israel trip, saying it was foreign-funded propaganda that justifies alleged Israeli crimes, including genocide and occupation. They argued her participation would ignore Ohioans demanding justice and that officials should represent constituents, not foreign agendas that excused war crimes.
They explained how, in response to their grassroots efforts, the senator determined that the best course of action was to cancel her trip.
Antisemitism in Ohio's local government
The decision comes amid broader concerns among Ohio’s Jewish community about rising antisemitism, including within local government.
According to a 3News investigative report, Natalie McDaniel, the wife of Cleveland Heights Mayor Kahlil Seren, was accused of making antisemitic remarks at City Hall. A May 14 civil rights complaint alleged that she referred to a Jewish official as “that Jewish b—h” and described an Orthodox commissioner as a “broodmare.”
In response, Councilmember Jim Petras introduced a “loss of confidence” resolution at a May 27 special session. The resolution, which is scheduled for a first reading at the June 2 council meeting, cites repeated untruths from the mayor’s office and concerns over transparency and access at City Hall, according to News 5 Cleveland.