Progressives are wrong on Hamas rape denials – Newsday
This week, a team of United Nations experts that visited Israel last month to investigate claims of sexual violence during the Oct. 7 Hamas raids said that it had found reasonable grounds to conclude that such violence did in fact occur. This comes after months of denial and minimization from many on the left. While the deniers are unlikely to be chastened by the U.N.teams statement, the new report is a powerful reminder of the atrocities that began the current war in Israel and Gaza and of widespread progressive hypocrisy on the subject.
Reports of rapes during the raids, particularly at the Nova music festival where numerous people were murdered and kidnapped, emerged right away. Disturbing images from the raids a young womans nearly naked body displayed like a trophy on the back of a truck, another woman being shoved into a car with her pants visibly stained with blood were also strongly suggestive of sexual violence. Yet people who talked about this on social media even self-identified social justice activists and Palestinian rights advocates quickly found themselves accused of using racist tropes of brown men raping white women.
Some, such as podcaster Briahna Joy Gray, carped on the lack of forensic evidence and criticized the Israelis for failing to collect rape kits from dead bodies even though the burning and mutilation of many bodies made evidence collection impossible.
When The New York Times published a lengthy report on Dec. 28based on interviews with survivors, first responders and others, concluding that Hamas terrorists had engaged in systematic sexual violence, a chorus of pro-Palestinian commentators and outlets quickly tried to discredit the story. They seized on the fact that the sister and brother-in-law of a victim prominently featured in it, Gal Abdush, felt manipulated by the Times and insisted that Abdush, who was killed with a gunshot, had not been raped.
But these critics omitted the fact that Abdushs mother strongly felt it was important to publicize the apparent rape. Nor did they acknowledge that family members, especially in a conservative subculture where rape may still carry a stigma, would have had strong motives to deny it.
In fact, even if one discounts eyewitness accounts as unreliable, the circumstantial evidence of rape chronicled by credible news outlets, such as visual records of womens bodies found exposed below the waist,is grim and strong. And such crimes are hardly inconsistent with other, amply documented acts of terror committed by Hamas that day, such as burning bound victims or killing parents in front of young children.
As for the supposedly racist trope of sexual violence by brown men, the use of rape to terrorize a population has also been widely discussed in the context of Russias war in Ukraine, with no racial aspect.
Whether the Israeli military response against Hamas has shown insufficient effort to spare civilians and crossed the line into retaliation is a separate question that deserves attention and concern. Reports submitted to the U.N.of sexual violence against Palestinian detainees should also be investigated. But it is no less important to remember that the U.N.also acknowledged credible information about ongoing sexual violence towardIsraeli hostages still being held by Hamas.
Above all, the absurd contortions to deny the rapes must be seen as an obscenity often coming from people who claim to be champions of womens rights but who will not speak for dead women who cannot say me too.
Opinions expressed by Cathy Young, a writer for The Bulwark, are her own.
Opinions expressed by Cathy Young, a writer for The Bulwark, are her own.
By Cathy Young
Cathy Young is a writer for The Bulwark.
Read the original post:
Progressives are wrong on Hamas rape denials - Newsday
- Pramila Jayapal State of the Union preview: Joe Biden needs to speak to progressives. - Slate - March 11th, 2024 [March 11th, 2024]
- Schiffs big win sinks powerhouse progressives - MSNBC - March 11th, 2024 [March 11th, 2024]
- Progressives Explain What They Want Out Of Biden's Big Speech - Crooked - March 11th, 2024 [March 11th, 2024]
- Declaring the end of progressive San Francisco is a bit premature - 48 hills - 48 Hills - March 11th, 2024 [March 11th, 2024]
- Schiff Beats Out Split Progressives On Glide Path To California Senate Seat - TPM - March 11th, 2024 [March 11th, 2024]
- Progressive Wins and Losses in Texas' Super Tuesday Primary - Progress Texas - March 11th, 2024 [March 11th, 2024]
- Progressives Win Two Texas District Attorney Races - Yahoo! Voices - March 11th, 2024 [March 11th, 2024]
- AOC walks tightrope between moderates, progressives during State of the Union speech - wpde.com - March 11th, 2024 [March 11th, 2024]
- State of the Union 2024: Progressive 'Squad' turns up heat on Biden with demands ahead of speech - Washington Examiner - March 11th, 2024 [March 11th, 2024]
- Sen. John Fetterman says 'progressives left me' as he urges action to secure border: 'There is a crisis' - New York Post - January 22nd, 2024 [January 22nd, 2024]
- Fetterman continues his feud with progressive Democrats and says they 'left' him - Washington Examiner - January 22nd, 2024 [January 22nd, 2024]
- The quandary for progressive Jews - New York Daily News - January 22nd, 2024 [January 22nd, 2024]
- Why these progressives want ex-Rep. Andy Levin to run against Biden - Detroit News - January 22nd, 2024 [January 22nd, 2024]
- Letter: I favor conservatives over progressives - The Dispatch Argus - January 22nd, 2024 [January 22nd, 2024]
- Progressives in Iceland intensify campaign against Israels genocidal war in Gaza - Peoples Dispatch - January 22nd, 2024 [January 22nd, 2024]
- Editorial: Biden must resist call to appease progressives - Boston Herald - January 22nd, 2024 [January 22nd, 2024]
- Can Gov. Hochul stand up to progressives | Commentary | oleantimesherald.com - Olean Times Herald - January 22nd, 2024 [January 22nd, 2024]
- Green energy was 2023's biggest loser. Will Biden and progressives wake up in 2024? - Fox News - January 6th, 2024 [January 6th, 2024]
- What progressives get wrong about Winston Churchill - The Spectator - January 6th, 2024 [January 6th, 2024]
- Divided progressives are the best friends a Conservative leader could have - Toronto Star - January 6th, 2024 [January 6th, 2024]
- Burlington Progressives Pick Two More Candidates for March Ballot - Seven Days - January 6th, 2024 [January 6th, 2024]
- Are Young People Actually Progressive? - New York Magazine - January 6th, 2024 [January 6th, 2024]
- Democrats and progressives react to Gov. Scott's State of the State - WPTZ - January 6th, 2024 [January 6th, 2024]
- Let's Seize This Opportunity to Destroy Harvard! - The Intercept - January 6th, 2024 [January 6th, 2024]
- Is nothing good enough? Phoebe Maltz Bovy on why some progressives are mad at the young Israeli refusing to serve ... - The Canadian Jewish News - January 6th, 2024 [January 6th, 2024]
- Progressivism's Breakdown over Israel and Jews | Joshua Davidson | The Blogs - The Times of Israel - January 6th, 2024 [January 6th, 2024]
- Normalising the far right: a warning from Austria - Social Europe - January 3rd, 2024 [January 3rd, 2024]
- AIPAC vs. The Squad: Pro-Israel Group to Spend $100M to Target Progressives in 2024 - Democracy Now! - January 3rd, 2024 [January 3rd, 2024]
- Opinion | For Wisconsin progressives, 2023 was a very good year - The Capital Times - January 3rd, 2024 [January 3rd, 2024]
- Abundance Progressives: A New Ideological Shift - BNN Breaking - January 3rd, 2024 [January 3rd, 2024]
- Progressives need to get real about Trump, democracy and the Supreme Court - The Hill - December 30th, 2023 [December 30th, 2023]
- Democrats get ready to ditch the progressives - The Times - December 30th, 2023 [December 30th, 2023]
- Actor Brett Gelman joins Eretz Nehederet to skewer US progressives - The Times of Israel - December 30th, 2023 [December 30th, 2023]
- MICHELLE GOLDBERG: What's driving former progressives to the right? - Indiana Gazette - December 30th, 2023 [December 30th, 2023]
- Joe Biden Is a 'Dictator' and 'Worse Than Trump': Progressive Activist - Newsweek - December 30th, 2023 [December 30th, 2023]
- Greek progressives deal ruling New Democracy severe blow in local elections - EURACTIV - October 17th, 2023 [October 17th, 2023]
- Progressives, as much as Conservatives, ought to adjust their ideas to fit actual facts - Daily Kos - October 17th, 2023 [October 17th, 2023]
- Progressives face backlash over response to Israel attacks - The Hill - October 17th, 2023 [October 17th, 2023]
- AOC and two fellow NY progressives back formal plea for ceasefire ... - New York Daily News - October 17th, 2023 [October 17th, 2023]
- Poland's voters turn fear into a stunning win for progressives - Tortoise - Tortoise Media - October 17th, 2023 [October 17th, 2023]
- Some progressives split with Biden and the Democrats on ... - The Boston Globe - October 17th, 2023 [October 17th, 2023]
- COLUMN: Schools, progressives must realize kids belong to parents - Oil City Derrick - October 17th, 2023 [October 17th, 2023]
- Scott hits Biden, progressives over response to Hamas attacks in Israel - The Hill - October 17th, 2023 [October 17th, 2023]
- Bergus: A model white progressive for Black justice in Iowa City - The Gazette - October 17th, 2023 [October 17th, 2023]
- Capitol Police Brief Progressives On Security Measures Amid Rise ... - Yahoo News - October 17th, 2023 [October 17th, 2023]
- Why Pittsburgh & Allegheny County progressives keep winning elections - 90.5 WESA - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- How Progressives Won and Lost in Purple Pennsylvania - The Intercept - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- Progressives gird for battle as permitting talks escalate - E&E News - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- Philadelphia mayoral race 2023: What to know about the May 16 Democratic primary - Vox.com - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- Bidens 14th Amendment message to progressives: It aint gonna happen - Yahoo News - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- Medicare for All bill revived by House and Senate progressives - Healthcare Finance News - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- Douglas Rooks: On economic issues, progressives are missing in ... - Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- Maine Media, Progressives Get Migrant Crisis Wrong - The Maine Wire - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- Chicago Tonight | Spotlight Politics: Progressives Push Tax Increase ... - PBS - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a Lying Crank Posing as a Progressive ... - Current Affairs - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- The progressive revolution's continued control of the ecclesial ... - Catholic World Report - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- A Bernie Sanders Progressive Could Be the Next Leader of One of Americas Largest Counties - The Nation - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- Chicago mayors progressive strategy to be tested amid public safety, growth concerns - NBC News - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- AOC says lawmakers' relationship with Zients is still a work in progress - POLITICO - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- 'Red Room of Doom' put brakes on some progressive priorities in ... - The Durango Herald - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- San Fran progressives BAN lesbian Asian from setting up Dem club because title had 'family' in it - Daily Mail - May 8th, 2023 [May 8th, 2023]
- Brandon Johnsons early appointments suggest hell be a pragmatic ... - Chicago Sun-Times - May 8th, 2023 [May 8th, 2023]
- Opinion | Why Warren Buffett Runs Berkshire Hathaway His Way - The New York Times - May 8th, 2023 [May 8th, 2023]
- The Right's Economic Populism Is Breaking Progressives' Brains - POLITICO - May 6th, 2023 [May 6th, 2023]
- Progressives are winning the immigration debate but it doesn't feel like it - Financial Times - May 6th, 2023 [May 6th, 2023]
- 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3' And The MCU's Tradition of Villainous Progressives - Observer - May 6th, 2023 [May 6th, 2023]
- Jordan Neely matters but where were progressives when 27 others were killed on the subway? - New York Post - May 6th, 2023 [May 6th, 2023]
- San Antonio, El Paso voting on progressive propositions - The Texas Tribune - May 6th, 2023 [May 6th, 2023]
- Progressives Are Declaring War on Basic Economics: News: The ... - The Beacon - May 6th, 2023 [May 6th, 2023]
- Opinion: The Hypocrisy Of Maharashtra's Progressives - NDTV - May 6th, 2023 [May 6th, 2023]
- Progressive Falls Short of Goal in Q1 - Insurance Journal - May 6th, 2023 [May 6th, 2023]
- Ask the Editor: Why use the term progressive? - WORLD News Group - May 6th, 2023 [May 6th, 2023]
- Maryland's next senator will need a distinctive progressive brand - The Diamondback - May 6th, 2023 [May 6th, 2023]
- New York's budget won't hike income tax rates, disappointing ... - Spectrum News - May 6th, 2023 [May 6th, 2023]
- COMMENTARY: Progressive double standards - The Times and Democrat - May 6th, 2023 [May 6th, 2023]
- Rifts between conservatives, progressives intensify at United Methodist Church - WTVC - April 24th, 2023 [April 24th, 2023]
- Not in our name, not our Shabbat: the Alliance of Jewish ... - The Daily Princetonian - April 24th, 2023 [April 24th, 2023]
- Progressive Councilwoman Teri Castillo backs these incumbents - San Antonio Express-News - April 24th, 2023 [April 24th, 2023]
- R.I. progressives assail Regunberg as he runs for Congress - The Boston Globe - April 24th, 2023 [April 24th, 2023]
- Rowan Progressives hosts The Revolution Will Be Amplified ... - The Whit Online - April 24th, 2023 [April 24th, 2023]
Tags: