Brett Baron

@afalkhatib @Blklivesmatter D

It shouldn't be controversial to acknowledge that Israeli hostages still held by Hamas should be released & should have never been held this long. I'm glad that Black Lives Matter, which also called for a ceasefire and disarming Bibi's regime, has taken a stance to distance itself from radical elements who see no issue with Hamas's actions or strategies. What's disturbing are the comments below this tweet, ranging from attacks, racism, delegitimization, and antisemitism, to classic dehumanization and one-dimensional thinking that somehow, acknowledging the humanity & innocence of Israeli hostages equals supporting the war in Gaza or the killing of Palestinians by the IDF. There has also been a disturbing trend in recent weeks whereby some have mounted attacks against the black community for supporting Kamala Harris and not being “pro-Palestine enough.” This has understandably generated resentment between the two communities when both need each other now more than ever. Any form of allyship and display of solidarity toward the Palestinian cause and issue should be welcome and appreciated, even if it “doesn’t go enough” for some who promote maximalist narratives and views. It is about time that the idea of multiple things being true at once is acknowledged by organizations in the social justice activism space, demonstrating that you can be critical of Hamas and its actions without that being an insult against the Palestinian people. Those who are offended by this BLM tweet are part of the problem, are unserious about effective activism, and do immense harm to cross-community relations, who should be key partners in the pursuit of rights and equality for the Palestinian people.