Since October 7, the term settler colonialism has moved from academic and activist circles into mainstream conversation. Some progressives now use it to justify Hamas’ attacks, arguing that Israel, created on land taken from an indigenous population, can never be legitimate. In On Settler Colonialism, poet and literary critic Adam Kirsch expands on his October 2023 Wall Street Journal article to examine this political ideology, which he claims aims to delegitimise not only Israel but also countries such as the United States, Canada, and Australia.

An event from Jewish Book Week 2025