Brianha Joy Gray edition: When keeping it so-called “Real” goes Wrong:

Brianha Joy Gray is a lawyer, political consultant and political commentator who served as the press secretary for Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign. Up until June 6th, 2024, she also was a co-host of Robby Soave on the Hill's YouTube show “Rising”. She announced her termination on Twitter (X):

Looking at Gray’s initial reaction to her termination, she blames her firing on the Hill “suppressing free speech” and took no ownership of a series of choices and statements that she made that brought this issue to a head.

Starting at the beginning, hours after the early morning attack on Israel by Hamas (the government of Gaza) the morning of October 7th, 2023 former U.S. representative for New York's 17th congressional district Mondaire Jones posted the following, which Gray responded to:

Rather one agrees or disagrees with her oversimplistic and sophomoric assessment of the “root causes” of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, Gray sought to call out Jones regarding “principles” but had no principles of her own to call out Hamas on their hours old attack that ensued that day.  

One of those massacres perpetrated by Hamas was at Re'im music festival where 364 civilians were killed with many more wounded. Outside of the killing, incidents of rape and torture were reported. People like Gray immediately downplayed or outright denied these atrocities, however: “A senior United Nations official found “clear and convincing” information that hostages have been raped and sexually abused in Gaza and “reasonable grounds” to believe sexual violence, including rape and gang rape, occurred during the Oct. 7 terrorist attack led by Hamas.”[1] 

An example of this denying of sexual assaults is what happened between Gray and Yarden Gonen, the sister Romi Gonen who was taken hostage by Hamas. During the June 4th, 2024, interview when the subject of possible sexual assaults was initially broached, Gray spoke about 2 debunked stories alleging sexual atrocities forwarded by ZAKA volunteer rescuers as proof that no attacks happened. Gray was simply not nuanced enough in her thought as a “journalist” to acknowledge that two things can be true: ZAKA volunteers repeated unfounded stories, yet the UN has still found that there is still reasonable grounds to believe actual sexual assaults occurred.[2] 

Not being able to balance these things with her chosen narrative, Gray rolled her eyes when Yarden stated that she should “believe the women when they say that they got hurt” (minute mark 20:30 to 20:34.)[3] This was more than likely the final straw for the Hill. And honestly, this is an issue many have with the progressive position on the supposed compassion for the Palestinian people that they are claiming drives them. If you cannot muster enough compassion to not roll your eyes and dismissively smack your mouth at someone who has a sister who she doesn’t know is even alive it is hypocritical to claim concern for anyone else. This alone however is not enough to assert that Gray in not simply concerned about civilian deaths in Gaza, or simply criticizing the policies of Prime Minister Netanyahu, but a supporter Hamas as evidence by her continued forwarding of Hamas propaganda.

What has brought many people to that conclusion is her May 31st, 2024 performance on the Triggernomentry YouTube channel. Konstantin Kisin hosted Gray with Michael Moynihan, Eli Lake and Jake Klein to discuss and debate the Israel-Palestine conflict. Gray pushed her narrative, refused to answer direct questions, etc. When asked what she thought Israel should have done in response to the Oct 7th, 2023 Hamas attack where 1,200 people were killed and 200 people taken hostage she attempted to forward the “right of return” being essential for peace in general. When called on it for not actually answering the question she ultimately went on a diatribe regarding “an eye for an eye.”

Stating that “a certain number of people (Palestinians) needed to be killed” with the clear implication that if 1,200 Palestinians were killed with 200 more being kidnapped, that this would have been an acceptable response in her logic. Being clear, it is well within reason and human compassion for people to take exception with the high number of civilian deaths in Gaza. Well within reason to protest the Netanyahu government of Israel and its chosen responses. However, doing so without holding Hamas responsible for its choice to massacre 1,200 people and kidnap 200 more is beyond disingenuous, it is taking a side. And that side is not the side of the Palestinian people, it is the side of Hamas. Simply put, the primary predicate of this cycle of conflict is Oct 7th, 2023 and that onus is on Hamas.

Some will say that Gray was trying to contextualize the violence Hamas perpetuated on Oct 7th as part of a larger cycle of violence between Israel and a Palestinian resistance. People who are displaced attempting to simply return home. In that, there are many people groups that have been displaced from lands they once possessed in the 20th century. At what point do we acknowledge land was lost and something else must happen? Do go back to the end of the Ottoman empire in 1922, or to 1948 when the modern nation of Israel was established? Do we could go back to the Caliph Umar in 638 AD or 722 BC when Sargon the II conquered the Kingdom of Israel? That can be debated ad nauseum, but this particular cycle of violence began on Oct. 7th, 2023. And, the first predicate is the actions of Hamas, and without acknowledging that, there isn’t a real conversation that can happen. And Gray’s lack of acknowledging that makes her seem like a useful idiot for Hamas propaganda which is why she was fired.

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[1] Anna Schecter, “U.N. finds 'clear and convincing' information that hostages have been raped in Gaza” NBC New.com, March 5, 2024 (accessed June 7, 2024), https://www.nbcnews.com/investigations/un-finds-clear-convincing-information-hostages-raped-gaza-rcna141789

[2] Tia Goldenberg and Julia Frankel, “Takeaways from AP examination of how 2 debunked accounts of sexual violence on Oct. 7 originated.” AP News.com, May 22, 2024, (accessed June 7, 2024) https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-gaza-sexual-violence-zaka-a12f75ddecab75989426f4dc24906ba9

[3] Briana Joy Gray, “Yarden Gonen, sister of Israeli citizen taken hostage by Hamas, joins Rising to recount her siblings experience.” The Hill: Rising, June 4, 2024, (accessed June 7, 2024) https://thehill.com/video/exclusive-sister-of-hamas-hostage-recounts-last-call-with-her%e2%80%94interview/9754412/