Mashpee Wampanoag respond to Palestinian flag disruption during Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

By Phil Tenser

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    NEW YORK (WCVB) — The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe issued a statement Thursday responding to the unexpected political demonstration involving a Palestinian Flag that occurred on their float during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.

A young man aboard the float raised a small red, black, white and green flag above his head just as they reached the performance area in front of Macy’s flagship store on 34th Street. The moment was made more notable as it appeared to catch the broadcasters off-guard.

Without identifying the person responsible, the tribe issued a statement emphasizing the actions were not endorsed by the tribe.

“It’s unfortunate that we are not focused on the beautiful display of our culture and history at the Macy’s Day Parade but rather on the actions of an individual tribal citizen,” they wrote on social media. “We want to make it very clear that the Tribe takes no stance on the conflicts overseas.”

“His actions were not a Tribal decision,” they also wrote.

The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe has inhabited present-day Massachusetts and Eastern Rhode Island for more than 12,000 years, according to the tribal website. In 2015, more than 150 acres of land in Mashpee and 170 acres in Taunton were designated as the tribe’s initial reservation.

The flag shown on their float was not the only disruption of the parade related to the conflict between Hamas and Israel.

The parade was briefly disrupted when about a half-dozen protesters in jumpsuits covered in fake blood glued themselves to the street just in front of a float carrying characters from the fast food giant McDonald’s. They carried a banner that said “Free Palestine” and “Genocide then. Genocide now” and were taken into custody.

The parade continued as police worked.

The demonstration came on the eve of a four-day cease-fire that’s expected to include the exchange of prisoners between Israel and Hamas.

The deal offered some relief for Gaza’s 2.3 million people, who have endured weeks of Israeli bombardment and dwindling supplies of basic necessities, as well as for families in Israel worried about loved ones taken captive during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, which killed 1,200 people and triggered the war.

Early in the day, ambulances were seen arriving at the Hatzerim air base in southern Israel, preparing for the release. Those freed will then be taken to hospitals for assessment and treatment, Israeli officials said.

The first hostages freed will be Israeli citizens, including some who have a second nationality, according to a Hamas official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the details with the media.

The official would not comment on media reports that Hamas had also agreed to release non-Israelis, including 23 Thai nationals. Thailand’s foreign minister told reporters in Bangkok he had not been able to confirm the reports.

Israel’s Justice Ministry published a list of 300 prisoners eligible for release, mainly teenagers detained over the past year for rock-throwing and other minor offenses. Three Palestinian prisoners are expected to be released for every hostage freed.

Close to 7,000 Palestinians are currently imprisoned by Israel on security charges.

Palestinian authorities said the first exchange Friday afternoon would involve swapping 39 Palestinian prisoners — 24 women, including some convicted of attempted murder for attacks on Israeli forces, and 15 teenagers jailed for offenses like throwing stones — for 13 Israeli hostages.

Israel has also agreed to allow the delivery of 130,000 liters (34,340 gallons) of fuel per day during the truce — still only a small portion of Gaza’s estimated daily needs of more than 1 million liters.

For most of the past seven weeks of the war, Israel had barred the entry of fuel to Gaza, claiming it could be used by Hamas for military purposes — though it has occasionally allowed small amounts in.

The truce raised hopes of eventually winding down the conflict, which has flattened vast swaths of Gaza, fueled a surge of violence in the occupied West Bank and stirred fears of a wider conflagration across the Middle East. Israel, however, has said it is determined to resume its massive offensive once the cease-fire ends.

The Israeli offensive has killed more than 13,300 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza, which resumed its detailed count of casualties in Gaza after stopping for weeks because of the health system’s collapse in the north.

The ministry says some 6,000 people have been reported missing, feared buried under rubble.

The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and militants in its death tolls. Women and minors have consistently made up around two-thirds of the dead, though the new number was not broken down. The figure does not include updated numbers from hospitals in the north.

Israel says it has killed thousands of Hamas fighters, without presenting evidence for its count.

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