BUTTE — Butte-Silver Bow County Chief Executive J.P. Gallagher is facing backlash from the public over an upcoming trip to Israel that he says is funded by the Consulate General of Israel to the Pacific Northwest and the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Watch here the public speaks out against the Butte Chief Exec.'s a free trip to Israel:
Gallagher announced the five-day "study trip" during the Oct. 21 commission meeting, saying he will join officials from Billings, Belgrade, and Richland, as well as others on the executive committee of the Montana Association of Counties. The Montana group will also join officials from across the Pacific Northwest for the five-day “study trip”.
At the Oct. 28 council meeting, members of the public— young and old— voiced their displeasure over the chief executive's decision to travel to a nation at war.
"Mr. Gallagher, there are kids in Gaza that are just like me, with the bright eyes and wind in our hair. I like to ride my bike, climb trees, and play with my friends, and so did they," said Lucas Henderson.
Thirteen-year-old Henderson weathered the two-and-a-half hour meeting to make a public comment about Gallagher’s trip. In 2025, a United Nations report states that "the ongoing genocide in Gaza is a collective crime sustained by the complicity of influential Third States.”
Shortly after the war in Gaza began in 2023, Butte resident Daniel Hogan and others wrote the names of children killed in the conflict. At the meeting, Hogan informed Gallagher that along with the increased number of murdered children, 560 humanitarian aid workers, 270 journalists, and 120 academics have been killed.
"If I were to print out the names of the children killed by Israel in the time period, it would be difficult for the chief executive to fit the ream of papers in his carry-on bag," said Hogan.
Butte resident Corissa Storey also referenced genocide as a reason for Butte's top elected official to decline the trip and linked the atrocities happening in Gaza to her own family history.
"I have very strong feelings against genocide because my grandmother was a victim of residential schools. They beat her day in and day out. They beat her religion, her language, and her traditions that were passed down from generation to generation out of her," said Storey.
In a letter released to the public, Gallagher wrote that the trip is focused on "community engagement, economic development, and knowledge sharing, just as similar exchanges have been for decades. He wrote, "...this is not a politicial trip. Regardless of anyone's personal views about the Israeli government or the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, I am not taking, and will not take, any political position."
"Everything is political. You are an elected official. This is a trip with other elected officials to meet more elected officials. It's political by nature and choosing not to take a stand on the documented genocide going on— where it is a genocide, not just a conflict in the Middle East— choosing not to take a stand is political," said Connie Thompson, a Butte resident.
While describing actions of the Israel Defense Force, Butte resident A.J. Brown got emotional.
"The Israeli Defense Force picks off moms who are trying to get to their (children) that are in refugee camps, and they have to go across the West Bank. They have to walk, because there isn't a road, and the IDF picks them off for sport. Do you remember in Schindler’s List? That same scene?" said A.J. Brown. She slammed her hand on the podium and said, "That’s what’s happening!"
Several people at the meeting voiced concern that Gallagher would not be present for the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
When asked if public comments have dissuaded him from taking the trip, Gallagher said in an email that he still plans to go on Oct. 31.
"At this time, I’m going to decline an on‑camera interview. I want to reiterate that I respect everyone who spoke and the concerns they raised. I still plan to participate in the cohort trip to Israel for the reasons I’ve previously shared, and I remain committed to engaging thoughtfully with our community when I return from what I learned on this trip. Thank you again for your understanding," he wrote.
