It’s not clear to me from the clip that he was asked any question at all. The question he states at the beginning could plausibly be purely rhetorical.

That said, it would not be surprising if he were to stress the struggle against counterrevolution but had little to say about the development of productive forces. Sison is a Maoist, and Mao and his intellectual descendants are much more voluntarists than they are stagists.

Feels like a bit of a bad faith critique, given that this is an extremely short clip with no context.

Is this from the same poll?

What we call “terrorism” is the only means provided to the Palestinians to have a voice. They literally are in a concentration camp.

One point that I think is worth emphasizing with some audiences is that if we are horrified by an alleged atrocity committed by the armed wing of the Palestinian resistance movement, the only thing that can make such resistance and the excesses that may sometimes come with it unnecessary is a range of other options that are actually effective.

So if you want non-violence, do effective non-violence and prove that that it can work. Be the other half of the anti-apartheid movement that makes it possible to some day wind down the violent struggles against apartheid.

Scolding Palestinians about fighting back by the only means left to them doesn’t give them any other options. An end to military aid for Israel and a powerful, growing BDS movement potentially could. When the Palestinian resistance has more leverage and power, parties like Hamas and others will recognize that and come to the negotiating table as fighters of national liberation struggles have done in many other countries. But they have to have leverage and non-violent forms of resistance have to be viable and proven, in order for deescalation to be possible.

The insane propaganda we’re seeing on this Israeli genocide paralells what we saw after 9-11.

This is possibly an inroad for understanding among people of older generations who understand what historic crimes were committed in the US response to 9/11. Because anyone who was around and old enough then can recognize the similarities in the sound of the imperialist wardrums.

Absolutely. It’s a fortunate thing that nowadays we have a greater capacity than ever to break through the propaganda and access that empathy, and hopefully turn it into widespread international pressure that can strengthen the Palestinian liberation struggle.

If you can convince friends and family members to examine the facts with you, you can make progress towards that end— occasionally even in unexpected places.

I’ve been off of mainstream social media for all of this, so my view is limited. But all of the people I’ve been talking to regularly IRL, I’ve been educating or conversing with about this conflict as I educate myself. And so far, across 3 generations, everyone has been pretty receptive to the history and facts, and some are even open to reading a couple books on Palestinian history with me. All of them see the basic justness of the Palestinian cause.

I think there are at least some people within every generation who are still ignorant but could yet receive the truth.

This, exactly. Do I endorse Hamas’ entire political program and orientation? I don’t know Hamas intimately, or their current internal debates, or whatever, but it’s still safe to say no. I’m a secularist, an egalitarian, a socialist, etc., etc. But I recognize— as do the People’s Front for the Liberation of Palestine, for example— that Hamas currently plays a leading role in the armed resistance to the Israeli settler-colonial project in general and the occupation of Gaza in particular, as well as running all of the basic civil services (such as they exist) in Gaza.

Most parties have at least some meetings, and certainly many events, which are open to the general public. Just attend some, and join the org which is doing the work you most want to be involved in. As for the dangers of cult-like microsects and burnout, maybe why you shouldn’t join any, check out this podcast by a bunch of former members of such a party.