Judith Butler: 'October 7 was an act of armed resistance'

“I think it is more honest and historically correct to say that the uprising of October 7 was an act of armed resistance."

Judith Butler, a prominent theorist and member of Jewish Voice for Peace, framed Hamas’s attack on southern Israel as an act of armed resistance, but she advocated for room for debate around the manner in which it conducted the attacks.

She added: “You can be for or against Hamas, but let us at least call it armed resistance, and then we can have a debate about whether we think it’s right or whether they did the right thing.”

[kme]

It is armed resistance, Palestine has a right to defend itself. Israel has no right claiming self defense, Israel just so happens to be a bully

[JohnFelinn]

You can not occupy people's land and then call them terrorists just because they didn't bend their knee and surrender. Nor you can call yourself innocent civilians because it is not your country to begin with.

[Solaiqqoy]

Good logic. It is a arm resistant. Absolutely right.

[magdalen]

Jewish Voice for Peace is a great organization. Its full of a very diverse goup of people.

[Sam-Stars]

It was absolutely armed resistance from a brutal regime and illegal occupation and Apartheid

[JohnFelinn]

When our land was occupied by the British, our forefathers fought for independence too. Our forefathers were not terrorists. They are our heroes. So do you Palestinians❤🇵🇸💪. Stay strong!

[Aladin-rt]

Especially when you are under a colonial occupation!

[rtcommodore]

Armed resistance to an occupation is legitimate, but it is still governed by rules that distinguish acts of war from crimes. The 7 October uprising had legitimate targets (the Israeli military and police) and illegitimate targets (civilians in their homes, unarmed people at the music festival, and other non-combatants). International law speaks to the distinction between combatants and non-combatants. We await an investigation of the 7 October uprising to determine what Hamas targeted. It could well be that many of the atrocities (crimes) of 7 October were committed by latecomers who just followed after Hamas battalions on the day the barriers were breached.

Israel, too, as a side in the war, has committed illegal acts that violate international law: targeting civilians, collective punishment of the people of Gaza, withholding food, water, shelter, medication for non-combatants, creating a genocide. There are Palestinians and Israelis alike who are on video committing war crimes---finding evidence is not a problem in this case. The perpetrators of atrocities should be named and indicted for crimes against humanity. With the case by South Africa and the work of international courts, this will someday happen.

[ValkyriZ]

One of the most prominent Jewish intellectuals of our time saying this means a lot.

[Enter]

"No justice no peace" and "Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable"

[TheTwosliceToaster]

Absolutely! I really bloody wish more people would push back against this notion that only Hamas can be terrorists, whilst the IDF brazenly commits terrorism on an epic scale in plain sight. Palestinians have a right to defend themselves, so labeling everyone who fights against israel in Gaza as terrorists is a REALLY obvious way of removing that right.

[youngeagle]

" We are the only people on earth asked to guarantee the security of our occupier While Israel is the only country that calls for defense from it's victims." Hanan Ashrawi

[markshirley]

USS liberty and Rachel Corrie! Americans need 2 wake up. I love yall

[elephantintheroom]

Let's ALL call it "armed resistance" in our comments from now on. I will.

[robroyking]

Then why did the Hamas on October 7th talk about killing the Jews and not say they were killing Israelis?

[ShaniAlice-bo]

How can you, as an educated person, not absolutely condemn the acts of terrorism done to innocent civilians? Have you all forgot your humanity? The people of both Israel and Palestine are not two teams in a football match. Stop enjoying cheering sides.

[shadyhazza]

the subject of proportionality never comes up in the west, yet it is international law. What they did is well within it

[ice-cream]

It was, of course, armed resistance. Are they right for resisting? Yes. Does it mean everything they did was correct, like killing civilians and taking them hostages? No

Not that's it's a justification. Israel has, however, done far far worse to Palestinians, just to artificially create and maintain a state where a certain ethno-religious group is a privileged majority. That is the heart of the problem and the reason for resistance. Not khamaas or whatever.

[aichael]

When you're in a country which pretends to protect free speech but you feel anxiety when telling the truth, it means a lot

[kiren]

This is such a key point that is not being said enough. China drew attention to the Palestinians' "inalienable right to resistance" at the ICJ last month. It's pathetic that Muslim countries are not even able to say this loudly enough in support of our Palestinian family. Hats off to Jewish Voice for Peace and all the other groups courageously calling for truth and justice.