A Palestinian man who was ostracized from his community for condemning the October 7 terrorist attacks has spoken out about his experience in a new interview.
“I don’t live in a place where freedom of speech is respected. What I did on Oct. 7 — condemning it — has put me in a very dangerous position,” the man, who asked not to be named, told The Free Press’s Bari Weiss. An interview was published Thursday.
“I have been called a traitor many times by many people. Honestly, I am scared to do this interview. But I know I had to do it,” he added. “I think everyone should speak up. Without speaking up, no one can make a difference or bring about change. People only see hatred from both sides. You don’t see anyone who stands up and condemns the wrong. And by speaking up today, it’s my chance to show that there is a different side to what is happening.”
The man said he grew up in a small village in the West Bank with limited opportunities and resources. Most of his classmates either dropped out of school or worked as laborers in Israel. Growing up, he We were taught to fear the Jewsand had only met Israelis in “uniform” until the age of 27. However, his views began to change when he first read about the Holocaust in a book as a teenager.
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A Palestinian man said he now lives in fear after condemning the terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas on 7 October.
“This is not something that we’re taught in school or even mentioned. So after reading this book, it changed my whole perspective, my whole view of Jewish people,” he told Weiss.
The man said he left home 12 years ago on a scholarship to study abroad and eventually returned to pursue an MBA. Tel Aviv University in Israel A scholarship helps Palestinian students find internships at Israeli tech companies.
Getting a degree was not easy for him. He said that as a Palestinian he faced housing discrimination in Israel and was often homeless or had to live in friends’ homes. Due to checkpoints, it took him several hours to travel from the West Bank to Israel each day.
Despite these hardships, his unstable housing situation allowed him to make many Jewish friends from various backgrounds. He also attended Jewish gatherings and at one point lived with an Israeli soldier.
He said, “We were very different – our thinking, our ideas – but we were friends, and I don’t believe that different ideas mean you can’t be friends with someone.”
Although he described himself as a proud Palestinian, he was “ashamed” and horrified by the atrocities committed on October 7. He was concerned for his Israeli “second family” and their safety.
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Protesters hold banners with photos of hostages, Israeli and US flags during a demonstration in support of Israel at Sant Jaume Square in Barcelona on October 15, 2023. (LULIS JEAN/AFP via Getty Images)
That same day, a social media post turned his life upside down.
He posted a brief statement online condemning Hamas terrorism and asking for prayers for all those affected by the attacks. But he quickly realized how dangerous it was to speak out against genocide as a Palestinian.
“My Israeli friends appreciated my post. They felt it was sincere. They felt someone was with them. But on the other hand, I saw a decrease in the number of my connections and friends. I didn’t understand that reaction. I was very upset by it. Many people deleted me and stopped talking to me. I asked, ‘Why did you delete me? What happened? Can we talk?'” he said.
“And I remember one person said to me, ‘You’re a traitor.’ And after that, three other people called me a traitor. And in the West Bank and Gaza, if you’re labeled a traitor, it means you’re in danger. It means you’ll be hanged or killed. And that’s what I’ve been scared of ever since,” he added.
Though she doesn’t regret what she said, she removed the post to protect herself and her loved ones.
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A Palestinian man told The Free Press that Hamas terrorists alone were responsible for the events of October 7 and beyond. (Reuters/Ibrahim Abu Mustafa/File Photo)
“Being called a traitor means that your life, your family, your home is in danger. People are hanged or shot without any trial, without any intervention from our so-called ‘government’. And then after being hanged, they are kept there. It is a warning, a message to others,” he said.
“I was horrified by the way people reacted to my post. And I also regret that I deleted it. I should have kept it up. I did nothing wrong. I condemned a terrorist group that was the main cause of horrors, death, many people losing their loved ones, their livelihoods. Many Gazans were killed, buildings were destroyed, there was destruction on both sides. And only one side can be blamed for this. Only one side can be blamed for this, which is Hamas.”
He said his life has changed a lot since he spoke out. Before October 7, he loved working in Israel and felt like he was making a difference, breaking down walls between Israelis and Palestinians.
“I used to feel safe where I am but now for the past nine months there has been constant fear and anxiety,” he said.
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The man says he is looking for a job so he can leave the area. He felt he had to speak out so that others would condemn Hamas and the hatred it spreads. they are flared up,
“It will take years to recover from what happened. But I believe we still have hope. I still believe it is possible for both sides to live together. We must not let Hamas succeed in destroying this hope,” he said.
