We, members of the Israeli sociological community along with concerned sociologists and other academics from around the globe, are saddened and disappointed by the recent letter titled “Sociologists in solidarity with Gaza and the Palestinian people.” We are deeply troubled by the blatant lack of any recognition of the heinous massacre carried out by Hamas in the south of Israel on October 7th. Signed by many colleagues and friends with whom we share ideals and common struggles, the letter is shocking for its moral blindness and lack of concern for empirical facts, contexts, and a sociological perspective. While the October 7th events do not justify hurting uninvolved civilians in Gaza, the omission of any substantive acknowledgment and condemnation of Hamas’s acts dehumanizes the victims and adds to the deep sadness, trauma, and despair we are experiencing in the wake of October 7th.

On that bloody day, Hamas terrorists indiscriminately murdered Israeli Jews, Palestinian citizens of Israel, and foreign nationals. The massacre of hundreds, the rapes, brutalization, mutilation of bodies, torture of children, the wiping out of entire families, and the killing of medical workers cannot be framed as anything less than a crime against humanity.  In addition, over 200 people were kidnapped by Hamas and taken to Gaza, most of whom were civilians, including babies, children (including three-year-old Abigail, whose parents were murdered before her eyes), and old and sick people. The sociologists’ letter completely ignores them, nor does it condemn their murder. On a per capita basis, the attack is akin to killing 50,000 Americans in cold blood and taking some 7,500 hostages.

We too call for ending the violence; we too support Palestinian liberation and the end of the Occupation – as we have done for years. We call for the cessation of killing of civilians in Gaza and everywhere. A humanistic stance cannot ignore the horrible massacre on October 7th . Acknowledging the massacre does not legitimize the killing of uninvolved civilians in Gaza. However not condemning or even acknowledging the massacre legitimizes Hamas' crime against humanity.

Unlike statements from other professional communities, which have at least paid lip service in condemning violence from all sides, the sociologists' letter has issued a one-sided statement that undermines their moral stance in the name of professional recognition of "relationships of power and inequality" Yes, there are power relations between Israel and Palestinians. Yes, the occupation has to end. No, none of the victims of the horrible massacre of October 7th deserved what happened to them. Just as none of the uninvolved people of Gaza deserves the current horrors. 

The Hamas massacre reminds us to avoid simplistic divisions between oppressor and oppressed. The commitment to social justice should never forget to respect all humans – of all sides. Critical Sociology is built upon thinking empirically, morally, and politically, against the grain, against the taken for granted, and against unjust use of power and violence – while unconditionally respecting all humans and treating them with dignity.

There should be no contradiction between staunchly opposing the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands, including crimes in Gaza, and unequivocally condemning brutal acts of violence against innocent civilians in Israel. Both should come together.

We urge our colleagues to withdraw their signatures from this one-sided statement. We urge you to join us in digging deeper into our sociological toolkit to engage in studies that offer a more nuanced understanding of the conflict in the Middle East. Such understanding may contribute to a long-term solution rather than to the legitimization of horrendous violence.