"Many think the term 'resistance' carries normative value capable of whitewashing war crimes. This is not how [international] law applies it. Armed struggle through prohibited means/methods, [like the ones Hamas committed on Oct 7], constitutes war crimes. Use of the term ['resistance'] does not justify [war crimes].

This is at odds with prevailing popular discourses that still cling to just war ideas; that all our actions in war are justified if they can be styled as 'resistance', 'self-defence', 'humanitarian', etc. This is no longer how [international law] works. But we’ve done a poor job communicating it.

So I can see where the hesitation and controversy comes from, but I think in the end much of it is premised on the incompatible clash between legal and political (politicized?) understandings of war."

Thread starting at: https://x.com/Alonso_GD/status/1837624173415289112