Cornel West calls Oct. 7 Hamas raid a 'counterterrorist response'

Independent presidential candidate Cornel West this week described the Oct. 7 Hamas raid that kicked off the ongoing hostilities between Israel and the group's forces in Gaza as a "counterterrorist response."

The Oct. 7 Hamas raid saw its forces seize Israeli border towns, kill roughly 1,200 civilians, and take more than 200 hostages. The Israel Defense Forces subsequently invaded the Gaza Strip in a bid to oust Hamas from power. The IDF has attracted widespread international scrutiny, however, over its handling of the humanitarian situation in the densely populated region.

West, for his part, highlighted the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict during a Thursday appearance on CNN, pointing to the "vicious killings and occupations that’s been going on for 75 years" and that a "counterterrorist response" was the likely response under such circumstances, The Hill quoted him as saying.

CNN host Abby Phillip subsequently asked him to clarify whether he had meant to categorize the Oct. 7 raid as such, to which he replied "[o]h absolutely, if you’ve been terrorized for 75 years, and you responded the same way... The IDF has engaged in terrorizing the Palestinians, and terrorizing anybody is wrong, but the terrorism that they are doing, it reaches the point of the crime of genocide."

West is far from alone in his criticism of Israel, with the United Nations Security Council last month approving a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in the conflict. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Joe Biden, moreover, have publicly feuded over the IDF's handling of the invasion, with Biden calling the assault "over the top" and warning Israel not to attack Rafah, a pivotal crossing point between Gaza and Egypt to which many refugees have fled.

Earlier this month, Israel agreed to open the Erez checkpoint into Gaza to allow for more humanitarian aid and further withdrew most of its forces from the southern portion of the region, leaving behind only a small detachment to hold a corridor splitting the territory in half.

West's words appear to be consistent with his election tactics of outreach to Biden's most progressive detractors, many of whom remain discontent with his handling of the conflict.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.