It’s unconscionable. But it’s not just the antisemitism that has me despairing. It’s the hypocrisy. Where were these caring young people when Hamas took over Gaza and slaughtered hundreds of Gazans, or when Hamas held 2 million Gazans captive for more than 17 years? Why didn’t they speak out about the fact that Hamas led Gazans into this conflict, which resulted in more than 30,000 dead and 80,000 injured, according to Gazan municipal authorities? Where were they when Hamas’s failed missiles claimed the lives of hundreds of Gazans on October 17, or when Hamas murdered young people in order to steal aid and resell it to Gazans at massively inflated prices?
But the protesters aren’t interested in peace. Some of the groups have been blocking Palestinian peace activists like me—and I am from Gaza, the very place they claim to care about! Instead of blocking peace activists, they should be inviting us to join these protests and guide them in the right direction—a place without hatred with a focus on calling for the release of the hostages who have been held captive by Hamas for more than 210 days.
See, in mid-to-late oct, early November, I was of this same mindset. How can we support Hamas? They’re a far-right fundamentalist group that has a terrible track record. But…as time has gone on, they are just not at the top of my list of things to protest. Because there’s…yknow, a genocide happening? If the people of Gaza turned on Hamas right now, it’d be over for them. They need statehood. Then they can get rid of Hamas. But they need protection from the Israeli onslaught right now. It’s priority one.
This doesn’t make Hamas a good organization with the Palestinian people’s best interest at heart. It just makes them the only port in a storm.
If the natzis allow Palestine statehood then they can’t brand resistance as terrorism. Israel and America are headed for an ugly breakup.