Massachusetts police chief cancels Israel training trip

NORTHAMPTON, Massachusetts — A Massachusetts city has decided against sending its police chief to Israel for anti-terrorism training.

The Daily Hampshire Gazette reported that Northampton Police Chief Jody Kasper and Mayor David Narkewicz made the decision jointly. The mayor said it was best for the city, but his decision wasn’t meant to be pro- or anti-Israel.

The training would have sent Kasper to what was billed as a leadership seminar on preventing terrorism and extremism. It was organized and funded by the Anti-Defamation League.

City Councilor Alisa Klein, a dual Israeli-US citizen, was against the trip.

She said policing in Israel has become increasingly militarized and “so-called counterterrorism tactics have not made Israel safer.”

David Pakman — who described himself as “super left” — backed the trip, saying the training could have been valuable.