Recently, the Israeli embassy in Seoul was forced to take down a video that it produced that showed violence in a made-up scenario in which Hamas was attacking Seoul. This decision was made in response to a request made by South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which said that although Hamas’s killing and kidnapping of Israeli civilians cannot be justified, the production and distribution of the video—which made comparisons to the security situation in another nation—was deemed improper.
The Israeli embassy responded by first saying that the purpose of the video was to help South Koreans comprehend Israeli emotions in the context of the ongoing conflict. Nevertheless, the social media post that made this claim has been removed. After thanking South Korea for denouncing the atrocities committed by Hamas, Israeli ambassador to Seoul, Akiva Tor, later took issue with pro-Palestine demonstrations in Seoul. Tor made a historical connection between the chanting of “Khaybar” and the seventh-century massacre of Jews by a Muslim army. While acknowledging that protests are free in Seoul, he thought that things were “a little bit over the top,” especially in light of Hamas’s actions.
In addition to street demonstrations, there have been talks and debates about the Gaza war on South Korean campuses. Some students have expressed support for Palestine while acknowledging their concerns about the actions of Hamas.
