The conflict between Israel and the Palestinians is no doubt complex. There are, indeed, legitimate grievances from the Palestinian people about how they have been treated. And whenever there is conflict, as now, reasonable people can and should be concerned about the loss of innocent life in Gaza.
But there’s a difference between being able to recognize this and defending or even explicitly supporting the actions of the terrorist rulers of Gaza.
Hamas’ senseless and barbaric attacks on Israel on Oct. 7 are indefensible. Now, those subject to Hamas’ rule in Gaza are facing a humanitarian crisis as Hamas deliberately hides among the civilian population and civilian targets.
Those who empathize with the Palestinians must be very clear in their sympathies. Are they truly concerned about the Palestinian people? Or do they stand with Hamas?
Over the past week, we have seen many organizations and individuals on the wrong side of this issue.
In the immediate aftermath of Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel, the Democratic Socialists of America issued a statement blaming Israel for the attack.
”Today’s events are a direct result of Israel’s apartheid regime — a regime that receives billions in funding from the United States,” the group tweeted. The New York Chapter of the DSA then sponsored a rally in New York City, which saw signs reading “When People are Occupied, Resistance is Justified!” as well at least one protester flashing the Nazi symbol. Likewise, the Long Beach chapter of the DSA issued a statement denouncing Israel as a “Zionist terror state.”
BLM Grassroots, an independent chapter of the Black Lives Matter movement of which the Los Angeles BLM chapter claims affiliation, issued a statement reading, “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.”
Clearly, these statements show a deeply troubling sympathy not for the ordinary Palestinian, but for terrorists who have abused the plight of the Palestinian people for evil ends. These radical left-wing apologists for terrorists, especially the DSA, must be rejected by all sensible people.
— Tribune News Service
