I don’t know how you can be a human being in this moment and not be consumed by heartache.
Heartache over the merciless atrocities by Hamas that killed 1,300 Israelis — mostly civilians, according to Israel’s military. Elders, babies, young people at a festival, lives cut short in brutal ways that brought back memories of genocide and trauma, compounded by rising antisemitism around the world.
Heartache at the merciless atrocities by Israel toward the tiny sliver of land called the Gaza Strip, where 1,900 Palestinians — including 500 children — were killed, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. Israel said it had dropped over 6,000 bombs and counting by Friday.
Indiscriminately killing civilians, taking hostages and collective punishment are war crimes and should be unambiguously condemned.
This should not be hard to do, but in a conflict with roots as deep and fraught as this one, even simply empathizing with the pain of other human beings engenders accusations of bias.
But as Americans, whose government has given more aid to Israel than any other country, we can’t let fear of being branded partisan silence us from speaking out against the escalation of violence against civilians in Gaza. On Friday, the Israeli government told Palestinians in Gaza — one of the most densely populated places in the world — that half of the 2.2 million of them would need to move south, in advance of what is widely expected to be a massive ground invasion by Israel.
United Nations spokesman Stéphane Dujarric called the order “impossible” without “devastating humanitarian consequences.”
Gaza is described by human rights groups as an “open air prison,” because due to closed Israeli and Egyptian borders, Gazans are not allowed to move freely outside the territory and their resources are controlled by Israel. The blockade, in place since 2007, is part of what Human Rights Watch describes as a policy of “apartheid and persecution” against Palestinian people.
Nearly 80% of Gazans live in poverty, according to the U.N., and even before this crisis, access to clean water and electricity was tenuous. The 16-year blockade of Gaza has made these conditions worse, the U.N. said. Nearly half the population of Gaza is under age 18.
Now, we are on the precipice of a humanitarian crisis of catastrophic proportions.
Right-wing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government have not been reticent about their intentions for Palestinian civilians. On Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced a “full siege” of Gaza. No food, fuel, electricity would be allowed for Palestinians, with Gallant saying, “We are fighting human animals and we act accordingly.” The energy minister later added no water would be allowed in Gaza until Hamas freed Israeli hostages.
While this kind of collective punishment is considered a war crime under international law, Israeli President Isaac Herzog justified the action Friday by saying all Palestinian people were responsible for the actions of Hamas. “It is an entire nation out there that is responsible,” Herzog said at a news conference. “It is not true this rhetoric about civilians not being aware, not involved. It’s absolutely not true. They could have risen up. They could have fought against that evil regime which took over Gaza in a coup d’etat.”
Between the bombs, lack of food, water, electricity, medical supplies and care, millions of Palestinians — as well as over 500 U.S. citizens and countless aid workers, including at least one volunteer from Seattle — are trapped in a spiraling disaster.
How cruel and deadly the siege will ultimately be depends on what we do next.
In the first few days of this war, the Biden administration expressed no desire for Israeli restraint, though as the prospect of an invasion and the consequences of a massive bombing campaign have become clear, he has somewhat softened his hard-line stance.
The U.S. public was rightly appalled by the brutality of the Hamas attacks on Israeli civilians. But we cannot combat terrorism with war crimes or condemn atrocities by committing more atrocities. As the largest backer of Israel, U.S. citizens have a responsibility to tell our elected leaders that not in our name will we allow our shock and horror to justify the slaughter of more civilians.
Over the past week, I have listened to and read so many heartbreaking witness testimonies and stories about people who were killed, injured or taken hostage in Israel and Gaza. I will never forget an Israeli father on CNN, who said through tears he was relieved when he learned his 8-year-old daughter was killed, and not held hostage and suffering torture by Hamas. I will not forget the desperate search by a young Palestinian woman to find safety, going from house to house, to no avail. The pain is immeasurable.
Every human life is precious. But I was particularly moved by learning the stories of Israeli peace activists who were killed or taken hostage, some who lived in collectivist kibbutzim and were dedicated to greater Palestinian rights. One of them, Hayim Katsman, was a doctoral student at the University of Washington.
As our hearts break and the Israeli army masses on the Gaza border, how can we call upon the best of our humanity, as the peacemakers did, to prevent another massacre of civilians?