Why The Left Supports Palestine
Common Questions About Communism
This article is a part of the Woke 101 series, which will get you up to speed on the basics they don't teach you when you become a soldier in the culture war.
The Palestinian uprising against Israel since October 7, 2023, has been one of the most effective radicalization and recruiting opportunities for the left in recent years. But let’s be clear: the Free Palestine movement has been a staple of leftist activism for decades. I once watched a presentation by famed communist Angela Davis, where she proudly explained how the social justice left "co-opted" the Free Palestine movement in the early 2010s. They didn’t just radicalize it; they wove it into the broader tapestry of their grand socialist agenda.
I nearly called this chapter, “Why Does the Left Support Hamas?” That’s the most common right-wing explanation for why the left backs Palestine. According to conservative commentators, the left supports Hamas because they’re a bunch of anti-Semites who cheer for terrorism. It’s an oversimplified, surface-level narrative that misses the mark entirely.
The left’s support for Palestine isn’t about religious identity or explicit support for terrorism. It’s about ideology and revolution.
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