Is it okay to replace "proclaim" with "claim" here?

This sentence is from Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind.

THE AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION IS ONE of the most controversial events in history. Some partisans proclaim that it set humankind on the road to prosperity and progress. Others insist that it led to perdition.

I'm wondering if the word "proclaim" can be replaced with "claim".

Edit: I asked this question because I'm confused about "proclaim" vs "claim". My main confusion is whether the two can be used interchangeably. One difference I do know is that "claim" indicates "typically without providing evidence or proof". But I'm not sure "to announce something" is the same as "to state or assert that something is the case".

Solution 1:

Proclaim can mean

to announce something publicly or officially, to show something or make it clear (Cambridge)

It makes a statement about the manner in which someone announces something, about their conviction, so it is a characterisation of the subject (partisans) and says little about the author of the sentence.

Claim, however, would be accusatory and point to the author's skepticism as to the truth of the assertion of those partisans. Claim means:

to say that something is true or is a fact, although you cannot prove it and other people might not believe it:

• He claims to have met the president, but I don't believe him. (Cambridge)

So, no, you cannot replace proclaim with claim, without changing the meaning, more particularly, without an impact on the neutrality of the author.