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#MeToo’s Silence on Hamas’ Sexual Violence Exposed: ‘#MeToo, Unless You’re a Jew’

Partygoers at the Supernova Psy-Trance Festival who filmed the events that unfolded on Oct. 7, 2023. Photo: Yes Studios
The #MeToo movement, once a beacon of hope for survivors of sexual violence, now faces accusations of selective advocacy. Its muted response to the mass atrocities committed during Hamas’ Oct. 7th, 2023, attacks on Israel has brought global criticism. While the movement has supported victims in other instances, its lack of acknowledgment of Israeli victims underscores troubling ideological biases and risks undermining its credibility.
On Oct. 7, Hamas launched a brutal assault on Israel, leaving 1,200 people dead. Survivors and investigators documented horrifying accounts of sexual violence targeting women. Videos , including many circulated by Hamas terrorists, confirmed acts of rape, mutilation, and abduction. By their scale and intent, such crimes violated individual rights and attacked human dignity.
Despite its mission to confront gender-based violence, the #MeToo movement’s leadership remained silent for weeks after the attack. When a statement was finally released, it referred broadly to “civilian atrocities,” avoiding explicit references to the sexual violence or acknowledgment of the crimes’ anti-Jewish motivation. The vague language was an apparent attempt to avoid fully condemning the attacks, and to dilute the specificity of the suffering endured by Israeli women.
While the #MeToo movement was swift and decisive in condemning cases like Hollywood’s Harvey Weinstein scandal or Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings, a study of its public statements exposes a pattern of prioritizing narratives that only align with left-leaning ideologies, particularly those critical of Israeli policies.
An explanation for #MeToo’s silence may lie in the broader feminist and human rights communities’ frequent alignment with Palestinian causes. While critiques of Israeli governmental policies can be legitimate if they’re aimed at specific Israeli policies but recognize Israel’s right to exist (and don’t spread lies about things like “genocide”), equating such issues with the need to address violence against Israeli women is a dangerous misstep. This approach effectively sidelines survivors based on their nationality or religion, violating the principle of impartial advocacy.
Dr. Einat Wilf, an Israeli academic and former Knesset member, explained this phenomenon as the “intersectional paradox,” where advocacy for human rights is applied selectively. “The refusal to unequivocally condemn Hamas’ actions,” she noted, “suggests that for some activists, the identity of the victim or perpetrator matters more than the act itself.”
The fallout of this selective advocacy is deeply personal for Jewish survivors of sexual violence. Many who once viewed #MeToo as a haven for survivors now feel alienated.
Esther Cohen, an Israeli feminist activist, shared her disapproval: “When Israeli women needed solidarity the most, the movement that stood for ‘believing all survivors’ turned away.”
On university campuses, Jewish students have reported similar feelings of betrayal. Organizations that once encouraged their voices are now hesitant to engage when their narratives challenge popular political stances. This exclusion not only erodes trust in #MeToo, but also weakens the broader feminist movement by dividing it along ideological lines.
The politicization of #MeToo’s advocacy undermines its stated mission to dismantle structures enabling sexual violence. By failing to stand unequivocally with Israeli survivors, the movement effectively normalizes selective outrage. Such an approach could discourage other marginalized communities from seeking #MeToo’s support, fearing their story might be ignored if it doesn’t align with the “correct” narrative.
Moreover, selective advocacy means the#MeToo movement is labeled as hypocritical.
#MeToo has repeatedly called for perpetrators to be named and held accountable, yet it purposely avoided naming Hamas. This reluctance resembles patterns of denial and doubt that the movement initially sought to dismantle.
#MeToo must reaffirm its commitment to universal justice to restore its credibility. Advocacy groups like Jewish Women International have previously called on the movement to condemn all acts of sexual violence, regardless of the victim’s identity or the perpetrators’ political affiliations.
Legal scholar Irwin Cotler has also emphasized the importance of depoliticizing human rights work. “Sexual violence is not a political tool — it is a universal crime that demands a universal response,” Cotler said in a recent interview.
The #MeToo movement faces a defining moment. Its response to the Oct. 7 attacks has revealed deep issues in its approach to advocacy. While it has achieved remarkable success in amplifying survivors’ voices, its reluctance to condemn violence against Israeli women demonstrates the act of selective solidarity.
If #MeToo aspires to remain a credible force for justice, it must end its ideological biases and return to its founding principles of inclusivity and impartiality. Only by doing so can we build a world where all survivors feel seen, heard, and valued — without exception.
But for now, it’s #MeToo unless you are a Jew.
Gregory Lyakhov has written for The Times of Israel, and is a passionate advocate for Israel. He runs a political blog focusing on elections, law, and Israel.
The post #MeToo’s Silence on Hamas’ Sexual Violence Exposed: ‘#MeToo, Unless You’re a Jew’ first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War

Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests

A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan

Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.