Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pY5waRJF-M

John Mearsheimer gave a lecture on the deep causes of the October 7 attack. He says Israel and its supporters tell a story that Hamas is the new Nazis. He says this story is flawed. He explains the real reasons.

He says the Zionist movement wanted to create a Greater Israel. But Palestine was already full of Palestinians. In 1900, 96% of the population was Palestinian. In 1947, it was 70%. The Zionists owned only 6.6% of the land. So they had to steal the land. And they had to do terrible things to the Palestinians. Ben-Gurion himself said: If I were an Arab leader, I would never make terms with Israel. They only see one thing: we have come and stolen their country. Why should they accept that?

Mearsheimer says Israel used three strategies to deal with the Palestinians. First, the Iron Wall: beat them into submission. Second, ethnic cleansing: in 1948 they expelled 700,000 to 750,000 Palestinians. Third, Bantustans: concentrate them in ghettos. Gaza is a concentration camp.

After 2007, Israel put Gaza under blockade. They put Palestinians on a strict diet. They counted calories. They assassinated leaders. They mowed the lawn. In Cast Lead 2008-2009, Israel killed 1,391 Palestinians. In Protective Edge 2014, they killed 2,203. On October 7, 1,100 Israelis were killed. So more Palestinians were killed in those two operations than Israelis on October 7.

Mearsheimer says October 7 was basically inmates breaking out of a concentration camp. They wanted freedom. They wanted their land back. He says this is legal under international law because Israel is an illegal occupying force. Armed resistance against occupation is legal.