Every time a politician claims to “understand the roots” of terrorism, it sends a dangerous message: that there is moral justification for targeting civilians. It suggests that violence is an acceptable form of political expression—if only the grievance is deep enough.
Terrorist Elias Rodriguez, who murdered innocent people in the name of Palestine and “resistance,” likely views himself as a hero. Would Vice President Kamala Harris, known for emphasizing empathy for the oppressed, find a way to "understand" him too?
Too often we hear the claim that, after decades of Israeli “oppression,” Arabs have no choice but to turn to violence. This is both false and insulting. There are many peoples who have suffered profoundly and yet rejected terrorism.
India endured over 300 years of British colonial rule but did not resort to blowing up buses in London. The Tibetan people face a brutal occupation by China, yet they do not fire rockets into Beijing. The Baháʼís of Iran, the Kurds in Turkey, and the Māori of New Zealand all carry deep historical wounds, but they have chosen paths that don’t include murdering innocents.