Pro-Palestinian students at Rhodes College blame Israel for Hamas attacks

In a recent example of widespread pro-Hamas sentiments on college campuses, Students for Justice in Palestine at Rhodes College condemned Israel for the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.

The statement was posted on Instagram, as many Students for Justice in Palestine chapters have done.

In a recent statement posted to Instagram, the Students for Justice in Palestine chapter at Rhodes College faulted Israel for the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks against Israelis citizens, claiming that the terrorist group’s actions were “not ‘unprovoked.’”

While the group said that it mourned the killing of civilians on both sides, it wrote in the Oct. 11 Instagram message that “it is important to recognize that the actions taken by Gaza militants were not ‘unprovoked.’ The silent suffering of Palestinians every day since 1948 is a provocation.” 

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“The state of those living in the open-air prison of Gaza for the past 16 years is a provocation,” it continues. “The Israeli government’s oppression, murder, and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians is a provocation. The expansion, raiding, demolition of Palestinian villages, and colonization of Palestinian territory is a provocation.” 

The statement goes on to state that Hamas’ actions on behalf of Palestine were not an attack, but rather a response. 

In conclusion, the student group notes, “We stand in solidarity with the innocent civilians, the thousands of children caught in the crossfire, and the Palestinians who have died since the occupation of Palestine in 1948.” 

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Campus Reform has extensively covered other leftist students’ condemnation of Israel and support for Hamas. For example, the Students for a Democratic Society at Florida State University (FSU SDS) recently praised Hamas for its “brave assault” on Israel. 

Many other student activists at universities across the country also took to social media immediately following the attacks to express their support for Hamas terrorists and Palestine. 

For instance, an Instagram post from SUNY Hunter College’s Palestinian Solidarity Alliance states that, “In response to the ongoing occupation and recent attacks on Al Aqsa, the resistance movement has initiated ‘Al Aqsa Flood.’”

Campus Reform contacted Rhodes Students for Justice in Palestine for comment. This article will be updated accordingly. 

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