The Stupidity of Hamas Tankies

Discrediting two movements at once.

By
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Rep. Pramila Jayapal arrives for a House Democratic caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol on May 31, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Everything happens faster in the future, it’s been said. Lately that feels true: It’s as if we’re speed-running through chapters of European antisemitism.

Within the past week some of the most “progressive” elements in American politics have picketed Jewish-owned businesses, suppressed symbols of Judaism, and questioned whether atrocities committed against Jews even took place.

With anti-fascists like that, who needs fascists?

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  1. Avatar photo
    Ben Connelly

    These activists are hanging themselves by their own rope

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    Rdpulfer

    I think what Hamas has very effectively - and very insidiously - accomplished is inserted itself into the conversation of larger, legitimate progressive movements like MeToo and critical race theory. For instance, MeToo showed how serial abusers like Harvey Weinstein were able to get away with hurting women for decades. Similarly, critical race theory has examined the Black injustice in the years following the Civil Rights Movement. Hamas has crafted the narrative that they are also locked in a "revolutionary struggle" that seems - on its face - similar to the above movements. And by now, progressives are used to counter-programming, to the erasure of perspectives outside the mainstream. Hamas is just using this tendency as its propaganda wing.

    It would brilliant if their acts of violence weren't so utterly depraved and horrifying.

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  3. Marla Hughes

    Man, it feels good to agree with you again. Good piece.

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  4. Belisarius.Aves

    For weeks I wondered at feminist and gay support for Hamas. Thinking it comes down to two things, oppression and jews. In the first case, if the left sees what they perceive to be oppression, they rally regardless of the belief system of the oppressors and creates rationales to justify these actions. But then the Uighurs are oppressed, there are Ethiopians and Venezuelans under oppression. Hence the Jewish part. Old habits...

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  5. BPhillips

    Best I can say is the idiots defending Hamas are mostly foolish college age kids - the adults in the room aren't a part of this. And some are not afraid of publicly calling out the fools. I'm very impressed with Fetterman. I wish he was my Senator. Instead I'm stuck with Josh Hawley.

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    1. Belisarius.Aves

      Gray is no child, she was part of a campaign that until Jim Clybourne and South Carolina, was leading the 2020 Democratic nomination. There are a bunch more like her.

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        EmmyCab

        Second that. Jessica Burbank is another one currently at The Hill TV who is cut from the same cloth as Briahna Joy Gray. Both are old enough to have served in paid, influential positions in the Bernie Sanders 2020 campaign: Gray was the National Press Secretary and Burbank was the Regional Field Director. Unless they're putting children in those roles.

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    A.Paolano

    One of your best pieces yet. Thank you

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    EmmyCab

    Thank you for calling out Briahna Joy Gray at The Hill. I used to regularly watch The Hill Rising, but I stopped cold turkey a few weeks ago when I could no longer tolerate her vile perspectives on the Israel-Hamas war. She is a disgusting human being, as is Jessica Burbank (Friday co-host on The Hill Rising) who, after some of the hostages began being released, argued *at length* for how well the hostages were being treated. I don’t know how Robbie Soave remains on that show at this point (and he has had several blowouts over it).

    In any case, my life is better since I stopped watching The Hill TV. I’m all for taking in a diversity of perspectives, but Briahna and Jessica are just too much for me. To hear those two is to listen to non-stop Hamas propaganda / apologists. But for anyone wanting to get a closer look at the far left fringe, I’d highly recommend any The Hill Rising YouTube video on Israel as well as the comments section on those videos. It’s just an absolute hive over there.

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    1. Kittyecws

      Don’t think I could stand to partake!

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    PJ

    Sure wish god could communicate clearly on its peaceful ways.

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  9. Philip.R.M.Hunt

    I watched the video. What Jayapal was doing is better characterized what-aboutism and blame shifting. She condemned the rapes by Hamas without minimizing then quickly turned to Israel’s misdeeds and implied that the rapes should have been expected given Israel’s misdeeds. She is careful to say that Israelis did not deserve the rapes, just should have expected them. Underlying this is the unfortunate progressive belief that only the dominant group has agency and responsibility for their actions, subordinate groups have no agency and no responsibility since their actions are all forced on them.

    So Israel should have expected the rapes? Progressives like to compare the Palestinians to the Irish and the South African conflicts but I don’t remember the IRA and the ANC using rape in their terrorism campaigns.

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  10. Vermin8

    "To date, there is no physical evidence of rape by Hamas militants, nor any purported rape victims offering direct testimony. "

    Assuming the statement is true, does he not stop to think that the lack of victim accounts is because most of the victims are either dead or hostages?

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