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OPINION: It Shouldn't Be Hard to Condemn Terrorists

By Frank Faiola  Posted by Frank Faiola (about the submitter)       (Page 1 of 3 pages)   2 comments

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In the aftermath of Hamas' terrorist attack on Israel, some fringe-left factions are forming alliances with anti-Zionist entities. These groups demonstrate solidarity with Hamas' acts of violence, justifying them as "resistance" and "liberation."

The Party for Socialism and Liberation, the World Workers Party, chapters affiliated with the Democratic Socialists for America, independent chapters associated with Black Lives Matter, and several other organizations have expressed similar perspectives via public statements and on various social media platforms. These organizations are furthermore involved in coordinating physical gatherings that oppose Israel, during which attendees express further endorsement of terrorism and violence, with the dissemination of antisemitic discourse.

The assertions made by these individuals are erroneous and fall outside the bounds of acceptability within the political discourse... Terrorism, as an expression of resistance, lacks legitimacy in its essence.

Even if you oppose Israel's apartheid state, as I do, terrorism is never acceptable.

Consider that former President George Bush conducted an illegal war against Iraq and committed war crimes; does this imply that terrorists may target Americans? Should random innocent civilians pay the price?

The Democratic Socialists of America of Salt Lake City Utah published a "Statement on Palestinian Liberation" on October 7, 2023, expressing their "unwavering solidarity with the people of Palestine in their decades-long fight for national liberation" and urging Americans "to stand up against settler-colonial, Zionist apartheid". The statement declared the group's full support for the terrorist attack on Israeli civilians, writing that "it is not terrorism or anti-semitism to fight against this injustice."

The Democratic Socialists of America of Long Beach California wrote on October 10, 2023, that their group "fully supports and stands in solidarity with the people of Palestine in their struggle for liberation from military occupation, colonialist oppression, and the brutal apartheid system imposed by the state of Israel". The group said that, "for far too long, Israel, a settler colonial regime, has dispossessed, incarcerated, tortured, and murdered Palestinians by the thousands" and added that, "there is no symmetry between the Palestinian people's struggle and the genocide being carried out by the Zionist terror state".

It appears antisemitic to refer to the entirety of Israel as a "Zionist state". Many Israelis favor a two-state solution and oppose Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right administration.

Independent Black Lives Matter chapters have commented on the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, although the national Black Lives Matter organization has yet to do so. Black Lives Matter chapters are operated independently from the national Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, and many are entirely unaffiliated.

BLM Grassroots, a smaller group not affiliated with the Black Lives Matter national organization, published a statement on October 9, 2023, stating: "in solidarity with the Palestinian people." The statement appeared to attempt to justify Hamas's actions as legitimate "resistance": "When a people have been subject to decades of apartheid and unimaginable violence, their resistance must not be condemned, but understood as a desperate act of self-defense."

A BLM Chicago Illinois account has shared social media posts implying support for Hamas. In a post on X on October 10, 2023, the group posted an image of a paraglider referencing Hamas's use of paragliders to infiltrate Israel and murder civilians with the message "I stand with Palestine." In another post on October 11, the group wrote: "When we say Free Palestine, y'all say antisemitic & Hamas. Israel's terrorism created Hamas & Zionism is a betrayal of the peace of Judaism, not those shouting against its genocidal effect on Palestine."

A BLM Phoenix Arozonia account endorsed and shared a statement originally published by Arizona State University's chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), which said that "Palestinian freedom fighters are not terrorists!" In response to comments from social media users criticizing the group's decision to refer to Hamas as "freedom fighters", BLM Phoenix responded, "We are also freedom fighters who have been grossly mislabeled and violently targeted for standing up against injustice to our people... so... you can call them whatever you want... but we will call them freedom fighters and we will stand in full support of the resistance happening in Palestine." The group added, "The Palestinian attack was a revolution and attempt to reclaim their freedom."

The Party for Socialism and Liberation published a statement on October 7, 2023, expressing support for Hamas's terrorist attack: "Resistance to apartheid and fascist-type oppression is not a crime! It is the inevitable outcome for all people who demand self-determination rather than living with the boot heel of the oppressors on their necks... The actions of the resistance over the course of the last day is a morally and legally legitimate response to occupation." The statement applauded the actions taken by "Palestinian resistance forces" and rejected the idea that the attack against Israeli civilians constituted "terrorism".

If Hamas had targeted military installations and government buildings, their actions may have been seen as a form of legitimate resistance. Instead, indiscriminate executions were carried out, including women, children, babies, and the elderly.

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Political Science Major at Bridgewater State University

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