"Israel must go in" - UFC champ Sean Strickland shares surprising take on the war against Palestine
UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland, in stark contrast to the prevailing trend in sports and entertainment, has boldly chosen not to be tight-lipped regarding social and political issues. He has, instead, forthrightly voiced his unreserved stance regarding the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
The polarizing UFC figure has been actively interacting with his followers on X, elucidating his unequivocal stance against what he perceives as acts of terrorism, while concurrently advocating for a peaceful and diplomatic resolution to the conflict.
The conflict started on October 7 when Gaza militants unleashed an unprecedented assault on Israeli territory. They fired thousands of rockets at Israeli towns before breaching the heavily fortified border fence, causing widespread casualties and taking hostages. This triggered a strong response from Israel since they had not experienced such an attack on its soil since the 1948 Arab-Israeli war and an attack of this magnitude targeting civilians. Hamas labeled this operation "Al-Aqsa Storm" in response to perceived Israeli provocations.
Israel's response, "Operation Swords of Iron," involves strikes on Hamas and alleged Islamic Jihad targets in Gaza, alongside the blockade of essential supplies. Over five days, Israel dropped 6,000 bombs, surpassing the total airstrikes during the entire 2014 Gaza-Israel conflict.
In the wake of these distressing developments, Sean Strickland delivered a resolute and thick-skinned response, asserting that Israel should take decisive action to eradicate Hamas completely. He wrote (Sean Strickland's views are his own, and we condemn any endorsement of war or any polarizing opinions from him or others on this matter):
"Man, I can't stand this Israel war drum beating all over the internet and the world. Understand this one thing you monkeys.... This isn't a war against Palestine... It's not a war of nations... This isn't WW3."
Strickland added:
"This is a war against a terrorist insurgency occupying a small part of the land with no real capabilities. Israel must go in and end Hamas but if they treat every Palestinian like a Hamas insurgent then they are no better than Hamas and you fu**ing monkeys acting like this is a war against Palestine truly are a reflection on the collective intelligence of the world. You all fail yourself and humanity."
Catch Sean Strickland's tweet below:
Sean Strickland doubles down on his stance on the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict
UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland has been openly expressing his take on the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. He also openly acknowledged that he went through a phase influenced by neo-Nazi ideology, but he has since distanced himself from that belief system.
In response to the conflict, Strickland voiced a strong opinion, urging Israel to eliminate Hamas. The UFC middleweight faced backlash from fans for his views, with one fan claiming that Hamas is saving Palestinians from a "superior military".
Sean Strickland doubled down on his stance and responded to the fan, writing:
"They're doing absolutely nothing..... Israel at any point could occupy Gaza and end Palestine.... You understand that right? Launching rockets from apartment buildings isn't defending Palestine."
Check out the exchange below: