Mohammed ElKurdPalestinian correspondent for The Nation and selfproclaimed “writer and poet from Jerusalem, occupied Palestine,” complained in a post on “Throwing cocktails with Molotov.”
ElKurd's post, which justified brutal violence against Israeli civilians as a form of retaliation for the occupation and colonization of “Palestinian territories,” sparked strong reactions online; his post was viewed more than six million times.
ElKurd, who is also a leftwing political commentator, was named one of the “100 Most Influential People in the World” by Time Magazine in 2021together with his sister Muna ElKurd.
He criticized those who support the Palestinian cause but condemn acts of violence and kidnappings. The post about “hijacking planes” sparked a wave of criticism, with Republican Senator JD Vance raising concerns about the dangerous and antiSemitic nature of the comments.
Comedian Konstantin Kisin responded sarcastically, ironically questioning the state of the world when you can “hijack a plane and crash it into a building full of innocent people for peace.”
ElKurd's post states:
“You can’t protest peacefully. You can't boycott. You can't go on a hunger strike. You can't hijack airplanes. You cannot block traffic. You can't throw molotovs. You can't burn yourself. You can't harass politicians. You can't march. You can't rebel. You can't argue with that. You just can’t exist.”
You can't protest peacefully. You can't boycott. You can't satisfy hunger. You can't hijack airplanes. You can't block traffic. You can't throw molotovs. You can't burn yourself. You can't harass politicians. You can't march. You can't riot. You can't object. That just can't be you.
— Mohammed ElKurd (@m7mdkurd) February 26, 2024