YouTube twice removed and then reinstated a video clip of George Mason University law professor Eugene Kontorovich defending Israel’s military strikes against Hamas.
Professor Kontorovich’s interview with news channel Russia Today was removed for breaching the platform’s “violent criminal organizations” policy — the same policy invoked to take down terrorist hostage videos.
“As int’l pressure grows on Israel to stop fighting Hamas, someone wants to silence any explanation of why Israel’s actions are legal under int’l humanitarian law,” Kontorovich tweeted on Monday after YouTube removed his video.
Kontorovich’s Argument
The George Mason professor alleged that silencing his arguments in favor of Israel was essentially part of a larger campaign to portray Israeli defense efforts “as illegal and in violation of the laws of war.”
Hamas has been using humans as shields to protect its military assets, Kontorovich said, adding that such actions go against the “principle of distinction.”
“Distinction means military and civilian forces need to be separated and clearly marked, so that both sides can target each other’s military without killing civilians,” he argued.
Kontovorich concluded the interview saying the Israel-Palestine conflict will “probably go on forever” due to large scale European and United Nations Relief and Works Agency funding to Palestine and Hamas.
Calling YouTube’s move “one-sided,” the professor uploaded the video on his YouTube channel after the platform first removed the clip on Monday, then reinstated it, and removed it again for “violating community guidelines.”