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The slogan is deeply problematic on two levels. First, to charge that Israel’s existence represents colonialism is to erase the historic Jewish connection to the land of Israel. Jews have lived in, felt connected to, and yearned for repatriation to Israel for thousands of years, including in their prayers, liturgy, and rituals every day. One cannot separate the Jewish people from the land. Therefore, calling Israelis colonialists, as if they were simply interlopers usurping a foreign land on behalf of a foreign power, is simply inaccurate, and is an effort to erase Jewish history and heritage and demonize them as encroaching on their own land.
Secondly, to refer to the events of October 7 as a form of “decolonization” is to justify the unjustifiable and barbarous acts the Hamas terrorists committed against the 1200 human beings they targeted and brutalized, killed, maimed, mutilated and burned. Even if one mistakenly believes that Israel is “colonialist,” Hamas’ actions cannot be excused or legitimized. Rape and dismemberment can never be liberatory acts.