'Moral insensitivity' Harari blasts 'indifference' of left to militant atrocities

The Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari has backed academics and peace activists in his home country in an attack on the "indifference" of some American and European progressives to Hamas atrocities, accusing them of "extreme moral insensitivity" and betraying leftwing politics.

- Robert Booth

Harari, author of bestselling books including Sapiens and Homo Deus, joined 90 signatories of a statement expressing dismay with "elements within the global left... until now, our political partners" who had, on occasion, "justified Hamas's actions".

The 47-year-old, who has recently become a high-profile political activist in Israel, opposing Benjamin Netanyahu's rightwing populist coalition and its plan to weaken judicial oversight, said he had intervened after speaking with peace activists in his home country whom he said were "completely devastated" and "feeling abandoned and betrayed by supposed allies" in peace efforts, after academics, artists and intellectuals signed letters which failed to condemn Hamas.

Harari's aunt and uncle lived in one of the kibbutzim targeted by Hamas during its attacks which killed more than 1,400 people; and more than 220 people were taken hostage. The pair survived in hiding while gunmen went house-to-house killing their neighbours.