Three years after the catastrophic day Hamas unleashed on Israelis and on the Palestinian people in Gaza, the majority of the “pro-Palestine” industrial complex still refuses to utter a single word of condemnation or assign any responsibility to the Islamist terror group that destroyed the Gaza Strip and triggered the most calamitous chapter in modern Palestinian history.
Today alone, I have seen dozens of posters and announcements for rallies, protests, and a so-called “week of rage.” Endless groups across the Western world, including the United States, whether community-based, campus-based, nonprofit, or cultural, are celebrating and commemorating “three years of resistance and genocide.” In almost comical language, many declare October 7 as the beginning of genocide in Gaza while making no mention of the bloodshed, murder, beheadings, torture, mutilation, burning people alive, executions, sexual assault, and hostage taking that initiated the disaster which befell the Palestinian people.
It is as if Israeli and Jewish lives are invisible. As if civilians were not slaughtered in their homes while they slept. As if partygoers were not massacred. As if the attack was not entirely unprovoked while a ceasefire was in place between Israel and Hamas. It is a complete erasure of cause and effect and a refusal to grasp that choices and actions produce consequences.
I have yet to see a mainstream Arab, Palestinian, or Muslim American organization, let alone prominent “pro-Palestine” academics, journalists, community groups, or notable individuals, issue a statement acknowledging Hamas’s responsibility and culpability for the devastation inflicted on Gaza. Even within the imbalance of power and the overwhelming suffering caused by Israeli decisions, there is still ample space to acknowledge the humanity of Israeli victims and the injustice of what happened to them. More importantly, there is immense space to speak honestly about the horrendous damage caused to Palestinians by the Jihadi fascism of Hamas, which has devastated Gazans over the two decades of its rule.
Three years later, Israelis, Jews, and Zionists are commemorating the anniversary while engaging in introspection, critique, and calls for accountability for leaders, security services, and other political players. In contrast, instead of using the grim third anniversary of October 7 to learn and evolve, significant elements of the “pro-Palestine” industrial complex remain one of the most embarrassing and backward hate-driven movements in contemporary political activism.
This is not a real pro-Palestine movement. It is a virulent anti-Israel bloc built on ignorance, mob mentality, open sympathy for terrorism, and sabotage of the Palestinian people’s legitimate pursuit of freedom and prosperity. Its regressive and poisonous rhetoric will not evolve into anything constructive. It should be treated with contempt, stripped of relevance, and isolated until it collapses and makes room for a serious effort that actually cares about Palestinians rather than the fantasies of wannabe revolutionaries.