POLITICS: Students backing Yahya Sinwar, Hamas need to wake up to the evil ideology they espouse

The history of the Israel-Palestine conflict is complicated, but condemning Hamas terrorists and the atrocities they committed last Oct. 7 really shouldn’t be.

Yet, somehow, many American college students have failed this basic moral test.

The protests and “encampments” that cropped up over the last year on college campuses weren’t just calling for peace or criticizing the government of Israel.

No, in many cases, they were cheering on the Hamas butchers as “martyrs” and calling for the eradication of all of Israel. 

For example, at Columbia University, chilling chants of “we are Hamas” and “Hamas make us proud” rang out among student protesters.

And, unfortunately, these really weren’t outliers. Polling shows that a majority of students who supported the protests admit they “sympathized” with Hamas, with a concerning 36% also supporting violence as a form of campus protest if it helps the anti-Israel cause.  

You can’t even say that this youthful support for Hamas is really just meant as opposition to Israel’s military actions in Gaza, because it predates those.

Even in the immediate aftermath of Oct. 7, before Israel’s retaliatory war in Gaza even began, disturbing Harvard-Harris polling found that 48% of 18 to 24-year-olds openly said they sided with Hamas.

An astounding 51% of this group told pollsters that Hamas’ terrorist attacks on civilians were “justified” because of Palestinians’ grievances. 

This moral rot runs deep among many college-aged Americans.

Israel’s successful killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar should wake these clueless protesters up, if they cared to pay attention.

After all, Sinwar wasn’t just a mastermind behind the Oct. 7 attack that slaughtered innocent civilians in barbaric fashion, including 46 Americans. He was also imprisoned by Israel for killing two Israelis and four Palestinians, making him a pretty bizarre champion for someone who says they care about Palestinian people.

It might be news to the “Queers for Palestine” crowd, but Sinwar wasn’t a LGBTQ+ “ally,” either. He oversaw the torture and execution of a Hamas colleague in part because he was suspected of being gay. 

Sinwar’s view of women was downright medieval.

And, of course, his terroristic “leadership” brought about the destruction of Gaza and the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians.

He said it was a necessary “sacrifice.”

As the Gen Z meme goes, “This is your man?”

Despite this atrocious legacy, some TikTok videos are already lamenting Sinwar’s death and calling him a “martyr.”

One female TikToker even said he was “an example of why Palestinian resistance is so strong.” 

This is unhinged. Unfortunately, many of these Hamas-supporting young people get their news primarily from TikTok, which may help explain their state of moral confusion. (Although it certainly doesn’t justify it.) 

Yahya Sinwar was an evil, vile man, responsible for the deaths of countless Palestinians, Israelis and Americans.

If there’s any hope left for my morally confused Gen Z peers, the death of Yahya Sinwar should help them realize that supporting Hamas is simply beyond the pale of basic human decency. 

Brad Polumbo is an independent journalist and host of the Brad vs Everyone podcast. He is a Tony Blankley fellow at the Steamboat Institute.