Marc Elrich Dismisses Human Rights Advocates re County Budget FY2026

Nonviolent activists in Montgomery County, Maryland advocating for Palestinian human rights have long struggled to gain the attention of their elected officials. We’ve often encountered dismissiveness and silence. This pattern of indifference and even contempt has been especially evident during critical moments such as the Israeli government's 14-month bombing campaign in Gaza, funded and supported with our own U.S. tax dollars.

Our concerns are not new. On November 2, 2022, the County Council passed a resolution in support of the controversial and weaponized IHRA definition of antisemitism . The councilors received comments from hundreds of residents and nearly 40 organizations concerned about harmful consequences, but they refused to allow a public hearing during an amendment process described as “a rollercoaster ride from hell.” The resolution confuses criticism of Israel's policies with Jew-hatred, or antiSemitism. For example, one passage reads: “modern forms of antisemitism can manifest through anti-Zionism.” But anti-Zionism is a political position, not a racist opinion or sentiment.

When an Israeli business owner threatened, "We'll take your life!" to pro-ceasefire protesters outside the County Executive’s office in Rockville in 2023, why did most local officials remain silent? The business owner who spewed hateful comments was later charged with threats of mass violence for his actions. We must all take such threats of violence seriously. That fellow’s cybersecurity business is touted by the Maryland Israel Development Center (MIDC) as one of their “success stories.”

What is the MIDC? According to its website, the MIDC is “a non-profit membership organization that promotes bi-lateral trade and economic development." It's a public-private partnership of Maryland's Department of Commerce, Israel's Ministry of Economy and Industry, and the Associated Jewish Federation of Baltimore.

The MIDC gets more than half its funding from grants by the State of Maryland and Montgomery County. As mentioned in my prior article and these two short videos (Part 1 and Part 2), the MIDC has brokered Israeli military manufacturers and contractors into our state. Two of these companies are not private entities, but actually part of the Israeli government itself, which is under international investigation for war crimes and accused by Amnesty International and others of committing genocide.

When activists recently encountered County Executive Marc Elrich in Annapolis during a lobby day focused on ending the annual grant to the MIDC, they found his response particularly blunt. Despite having promised to meet with them after a town hall in October 2024, Elrich told the activists, “I will not meet with you. I will not budge on this issue.” This interaction occurred while activists had been working for months to arrange a meeting. All the while, Elrich had been meeting with pro-Israel lobbyists, including attending a private sit-down dinner, and speaking at their legislative breakfast at which maintaining the MIDC grant was listed as a 2025 legislative priority.

At what point do we choose to invest in our values, rather than funding an ethical and financial liability? When will we wake up to the fact that the United States’ support of Israel’s policies of apartheid, occupation, and ethnic cleansing threatens the security of Jewish Americans–and of all Americans–everywhere in the world? We enable the violence when we fuel Israel’s widening war in the Middle East with weapons, tens of billions of dollars, and diplomatic cover. Residents of the county are saying: It’s time for our Montgomery County government to align its public policy with our values on human rights. The annual state grant to the Maryland-Israel Development Center must end. We have other priorities–addressing our own human needs–for our tax dollars.

Peace Action Montgomery is urging residents to engage in an ongoing conversation about ethical public policy, fiscal responsibility, and human rights. As a public servant, County Executive Marc Elrich should meet with all constituents, not merely those who he agrees with. The executive is slated to submit his proposed [FY2026] operating budget to the Council on March 15. For more information about the campaign to end the MIDC grant, visit dropthemidc.org.

Steven Sellers Lapham
Member, Peace Action Montgomery