Judith Butler and the Normalization of Hamas and Hezbollah within Progressive Social Movements.

In 2006, during a UC Berkeley event, an audience member posed a question to Judith Butler regarding whether Hamas and Hezbollah posed a threat to Israel's existence. In response, she stated the following:

"Yes, understanding Hamas, Hezbollah as social movements that are progressive, that are on the Left, that are part of a global Left, is extremely important. That does not stop us from being critical of certain dimensions of both movements. It doesn't stop those of us who are interested in non-violent politics from raising the question of whether there are other options besides violence. So again, a critical, important engagement. I mean, I certainly think it should be entered into the conversation on the Left. I similarly think boycotts and divestment procedures are, again, an essential component of any resistance movement."

Seventeen years later, the impact of Butler's words has endured, finding widespread support for Hamas and Hezbollah in academia, becoming a litmus test within the realm of social justice advocacy.

"Seeking to remove an active oppressor from an actively oppressed peoples' historic land is not genocide, as long as there are still those alive who remember a time when they were not oppressed."

What about defending your historic homeland against an active oppressor attempting to commit genocide against you?

"There are Palestinians who are still alive that remember a time before the creation of Israel and that's why they can never be considered genocidal in seeking their oppressor's removal."

Aren't you Austrian?

That's sounds very National Socialist of you.

I mean, I assume that the National Socialists felt that genocide via the final solution was a just cause.

Oh, and let's not forget that it was the Jews who ensured Germany's defeat during WWI, leading to a depressed and emasculated state.

"Killing and starving children is where I draw the line."

Hamas has been doing it for a very long time. They're still doing it today.

"Palestine fits the pattern of a group that could over time prevail at least enough to survive."

Palestinians get on the road to survival when they collectively decide that the destruction of Israel is not worth the cost to Palestinians. Right now, it seems as though there are more than a few who feel like the destruction of Israel is the number one priority. Polling shows that Palestinians overwhelmingly support the terrorist acts committed on 10/7.

"Being against bombing and starving children to death is somehow bad?"

You seem to be laying all the blame on Israel, as though they just one day decided to go bombing for no good reason.

Hamas has stolen aid shipments for years. Hamas has been starving the Palestinians for years. But...crickets. It's Israel's fault.

It's like Somalia in the early 1990s. There wasn't a lack of aid coming in, it was just all stolen by the militia so they could leverage influence over the population.

And I can't recall the exact number, but there have been tens of thousands of rocket attacks against Israeli cities from within Gaza. Did you ever take the time to protest that?

"Palestine can't choose what to spend on infrastructure above ground. Israel controls what they can build. It controls cement and pipes and what Palestine gets to build above ground."

Yeah.

I'm sure Hamas put in applications for all the tunnels and bunkers they installed in gaza.

Palestinians, like Germans in WWII, need to be taught that their support for genocide and ethnic cleansing will hurt them more than help them.