Mick Hartley

Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, a US citizen from Gaza, on his horror as Hamas's western apologists have become Hamas enthusiasts. Before, on pro-Palestinian demonstrations, it was all about focusing on Israeli reaction, and ignoring the role of Hamas….

Yet Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre of 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians, has bred a far more disturbing form of Hamas apologia. Instead of their usual distracting methods, this time you had people actually gleefully endorsing Oct. 7 as a form of legitimate armed resistance to occupation. Others attempted to "contextualize" the attack by pointing out the conditions in Gaza and the overall injustices experienced by Palestinians. Still others tried to downplay the atrocities themselves—either their horrific nature or the numbers involved.

This Hamas apologia is new. Something has fundamentally changed. Many Hamas apologists have upgraded, becoming actual enthusiasts. They are now less interested in using verbal gymnastics and manipulation and have become eager to show affection, empathy, admiration, and reverence for the group's tactics, methods, and strategies.

Artistic and illustrative renderings of paragliders, bulldozers, and motorcycles made Hamas "cool" and hip, a sexy "symbol" of the underdog and underprivileged fighting back. These images were shared on social media, with thousands adding those pictures to their profiles, names, or bio lines.

Hamas are the new Che Guevara.