We all must be the good ones
When analyzing Israel's actions in Gaza, moral consistency is what should lead the way
Honestly, it’s taken a month for me to articulate my thoughts on what’s happening in Gaza and the West Bank because…well…I’ve had a lot of them. They swam intermittently, but never coherently. Social media posts and spurious reports are trumpeted around as breaking news and proof positive that our side is right and their side is wrong. As someone who’s had to disentangle myself from much of the propaganda inundated in many young Jews, it’s been concerning yet unsurprising to see so many people who, generally progressive politically, are full-throatedly calling for death and destruction in Gaza. On the other hand, I am sympathetic (to a point) for American Jews who legitimately are fearful of reprisal from anti-Semitic actors. I’ve been the college kid on that campus before - it’s not fun to be a Jewish college student, even when you’ve tried to divorce yourself from the issue.
A line that the likes of Alan Dershowitz have trumpeted when talking about the Israel/Palestine conflict is “moral clarity” - that there is a clear good side and bad side in this war (we know what side Dershowitz thinks he’s on.) For me, though, this clarity falls by the wayside when considered with another key element - “moral consistency.” That is, valuing lives equally regardless of race, background, religion, or situation. Moral clarity is wielded like a saber that cuts through nuance and dehumanizes the real civilian casualties of war. Moral consistency is a vehicle through which we can more humanely analyze situations through a neutral lens.
Through any neutral lens, what Israel has imposed on the Palestinians in the past 16 years is deplorable. The Gazans are a people entrapped in an open-air prison, denied basic resources to improve their situation. 50% of Gaza’s population are children, immiserated under this regime. The West Bank has streets where only Israeli citizens can walk. West Bank residents have settlers throw rocks at them regularly. I have a relative who moved to the West Bank and married the son of an evangelical Texas preacher who believes that the “blood of the High Priest” runs through his veins and when the Messiah comes he’ll be called on to serve at the Holy Temple. He doesn’t speak a word of Hebrew. They believe the Clintons orchestrated the Lockerbie bombing. We don’t talk much anymore. These are typical West Bank settlers. These people are interlopers who invaded Palestinian land with the intent to terrorize their neighbors.
The ironic thing about this conflict is that it’s actually reignited my confidence in the moderate and progressive Israeli populace. I had previously given up on them. I thought there was no hope for an electorate that continually put Netanyahu in power to be capable of self-reflection. But between the protests regarding judicial reform over the summer and the current reaction from Israeli civilians to the Gazan incursion (80% anti-Netanyahu), I’m more optimistic than I was before that maybe, electorally, some meaningful demographic change can happen.
I think Netanyahu and the right-wing government is slipping - this is the biggest military intelligence failure in Israeli history. Leadership is more concerned about keeping their asses out of jail than any type of military readiness. This military is D tier and no one should expect anything from them. He also fucked up by reneging on the compact that, traditionally, Israeli families have with their leadership: he has openly said that Hamas deaths are more important to him than Israeli military lives. They don’t care about the hostages, and it wouldn’t shock me if they don’t extricate a single one alive in the ensuing conflict.
A lot of American Jews are fearful of anti-Semitic reprisal at home, and it should be noted that there has been an increase of attacks in the past month (Islamaphobic incidents, as well). However, a vast majority of the attacks have NOT been from Palestinian activists: they have been from opportunistic right-wing white supremacists. The Cornell assailant was an Asian student who frequented 4chan message boards. The Chicago killer of 6 year old Wadea Al-Fayoum was a white Christian. Jews and Muslims, often pitted against each other, aren’t attacking each other physically. The media, instead of reporting on this reality, pits these two groups against each other cynically.
I used to be against the BDS movement, but I have evolved on this issue. I think the pro-Israel establishment in the USA actually did too good of a job limiting dissent. They gave Palestinians and those who support the Palestinian cause literally no option to voice their views legally in the public square. This is anti-free speech. Jews and Israel supporters need to recognize that just because they’re threatened by Palestinian free speech, that doesn’t mean it’s a personal attack against them or puts them in harm’s way for physical violence - and, honestly, if they’re so threatened, it might be a sign that they should reexamine their personal biases. There has not been a single noted physical attack at a rally for Palestine during this incursion into Gaza. Movements like BDS and public gatherings for Palestinian support need to thrive as non-violent alternatives, regardless of whether or not we agree or disagree with the methodology.
My theory is that liberal-minded Jews are undergoing a deep cognitive dissonance right now. Jews are a Democratic stronghold, typically anti-war, progressive on most things. Most American Jews also hate Netanyahu - although generally support the state of Israel. I think American Jews are trying to rationalize to themselves that this military action will work at cleansing Gaza of Hamas, even though they know in their hearts that Netanyahu, a forever failson, will fail once more. It’s not anti-Semitic to say that Netanyahu and the Israeli army are going to fail. Cognitive dissonance is a hell of a drug. It’s time to break through and say what is evident - this course of action is incorrect and will only lead to more immiseration. We need a new perspective on how to resolve this conflict, and this isn’t it.
If you believe that all lives are equal, and Jewish lives are as special as Palestinian lives, it’s time to stand up. March, donate, and make your voices heard. We need a ceasefire now to end this failed war before it stretches into forever. And we need people to appeal to their better natures instead of making a bet on a corrupt man and his incompetent army.