Remembering October 8
As we commemorate the anniversary of the tragic events of October 7, we must also face the devastating consequences of what happened the next day. October 8 marked the great unmasking of latent antisemitism across the globe, particularly in the U.S.
As Israel was learning of the rapes, beheadings, and unspeakable horrors committed on its innocent civilians, and as it was still hunting jihadists within its borders, the tide of anti-Israel attacks rose, and some of it quickly crossed the border into antisemitism.
In some cases, the antisemitic response was rapid and obvious, as with parades led by the Democratic Socialist of America celebrating Hamas. In other cases, it emerged insidiously.
Below are 15 examples of prominent individuals who saw October 7 as the opportunity to spread falsehoods or blame Israel for what happened that day. To make this list, one had to use Twitter between October 7 and 10 to fail to acknowledge the obvious: To condemn Hamas for its attack and to express sympathy for the Israeli victims.
This is not hard to do. Those below are not stupid people.
But the loss of moral clarity was one of the disastrous consequences of days after October 7 and the year the followed. As you will see from the list below, too many used this barbarous day to fault Israel for its occupation or treatment of Palestinians. But Israel left Gaza in 2005, and the plight of those who live there lies with Hamas. Some blamed Israel for apartheid, which is false. Apartheid is a form of racial discrimination, which does not exist in Israel. In parts of the West Bank, Israel imposes restrictions not based on race but on citizenship; those restrictions are rooted in security concerns.
Some called for an immediate ceasefire or for de-escalation. But Israel has the right and obligation under international law to defend its borders. Moreover, it has fought multiple wars against Hamas in Gaza since 2005 and against Hezbollah in Lebanon since the 1980s. Those wars ended in ceasefires and de-escalation agreements that were not enforced. Now Israel has the chance to achieve a military victory that prevents future wars, and it must be allowed to do so.
There were accusations of “cycles of violence.” But October 7 was an unprovoked attack. Indeed, Israel has never started a war. To object to Israel’s actions based on a cycle of violence is to deny its right to self-defense.
October 7 was a test not just for Jews, but for the civilized world. Far too many failed that test. It is unlikely that those below and the countless others like them will change. Let us hope that the voices of reason, truth and moral clarity will prevail.
I invite readers to add to this list in the comments section. Use the Twitter advanced search feature to look for Tweets between October 7 and 10, 2023.
Person/Organization | Tweets from 10/7/23 to 10/10/23 |
Francesca Albanese
UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories 258K followers |
Tweeted: “Today’s violence must be put in context. Almost six decades of hostile military rule over an entire civilian population (incomprehensibly ignored by too many official statements & media outlets) are in themselves an aggression, and the recipe for more insecurity for all.” |
Amnesty International
NGO 2.1M followers |
Tweeted that “The root causes of these repeated cycles of violence must be addressed as a matter of urgency. This requires upholding international law and ending Israel’s 16-year-long illegal blockade on Gaza, and all other aspects of Israel’s system of apartheid imposed on all Palestinians. |
Cori Bush
Democratic congresswoman MO 843.6K followers |
Issued statement mourning loss of Israeli and Palestinian lives. Did not mention Hamas. Accused Israel of apartheid. |
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Democratic congresswoman NY 13.2M followers
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Issued statement condemning Hamas and calling for an immediate ceasefire. |
Briahna Joy Gray
Former national press secretary for Bernie Sanders 418.9K followers |
Reposted a tweet from Jeremy Corbyn calling for a ceasefire. |
Mehdi Hasan
Former MSNBC host 1.6M followers |
Condemned Hamas attacks, but said it was “context for the (ongoing?) slaughter of innocent Gazans.” |
Human Rights Watch
NGO 5M followers |
Tweeted that both sides were violating human rights. |
Summer Lee
Democratic congresswoman PA 42.5K followers |
Tweeted a statement that condemned Hamas’ attack, but also called for “de-escalation,” “an end to this tragic cycle of violence,” and “an end to the occupation.” |
Gideon Levy
Journalist 46.6K followers |
Tweeted that “Israel can’t imprison 2 million Gazans without paying a cruel price.”
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Ayanna Pressley
Democratic congresswoman MA 529.4K followers |
Tweeted to condemn Hamas violence and called for an “immediate ceasefire and de-escalation” and end to the “cycle of violence.” |
Joy Reid
MSNBC host 591.8K followers |
Tweeted to express concern that citizens of Gaza have nowhere to flee and will face traumatic stress disorder. Did not mention Hamas or express sympathy for Israeli victims. |
Rashida Tlaib
Democratic congresswoman MI 1.4M followers |
Issued statement mourning loss of Israeli and Palestinian lives. Did not mention Hamas. Accused Israel of apartheid. |
Ali Velshi
MSNBC host 707K followers |
Tweeted to condemn Palestinian casualties, “collective punishment,” and “starvation.” Falsely claimed that Israel controls all access to Gaza (Egypt has a border with Gaza, which was the source of the weapons used on October 7). |
Steven Walt
Academic, Harvard University 117.4K followers |
Quoted W.H. Auden about a “cycle of violence.” |
Cornel West
Academic, theologian Candidate for U.S. presidency 1M followers |
Criticized the escalation of violence on “both sides” and placed blame on the “occupied Hamas forces.” |