In America, how did we get to a place where we have difficulty putting ourselves in the shoes of Palestinians?
What do we expect of them?
According to the prevailing narrative in America, there was peace between the Palestinians and Israel until the militant wing of Hamas launched a terrorist attack against innocent Israeli civilians on October 7th, 2023. In this attack, Hamas committed unspeakable atrocities and according to the official Israeli reporting, they slaughtered 1,139 people and took 252 hostages.
We are told the atrocities committed on October 7th by Hamas were an order of magnitude greater than 9/11 in America because the slaughtered victims represent a higher percentage of the Israeli population (approximately 8 million) than the victims killed on 9/11 (approximately 3,000 vs. a U.S. population of approximately 285 million at the time).
In response to the attack by Hamas, Israel has launched a comprehensive attack against the total population of Palestinians in Gaza.
Before firing one bullet or launching one bomb into Gaza, Israel stopped all deliveries of food, water, fuel, medical supplies, and other good and services needed to sustain the Palestinian population of 2.3 million.
Then Israel launched a military bombing campaign that exceeds the destructive capacity of any military action in the modern era. The military bombing campaign was followed by a full-scale ground invasion by one of the world’s most technologically advanced militaries.
Since October 7th, 2023, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, Israel has slaughtered 34,904 people, including 14,500 children and 9,500 women.
In the bombing campaign, according to the United Nations and the World Health Organization, Israel has damaged or destroyed:
- Over half of all homes
- 80% of all commercial facilities
- 75% of all schools
- 85% of all groundwater wells
- All 35 hospitals (only 12 remain partially functioning)
- 267 places of worship (all faiths and denominations)
Yet the prevailing narrative in America persists that Israel’s response is a justifiable expression of the right of self defense for the Hamas attack on October 7th.
If October 7th was an order of magnitude worse than 9/11 because of Israel’s smaller relative population, what is almost 35,000 Palestinian deaths in Gaza out of a total population of 2.3 million?
Given the fact that Israel is not yet satisfied, as reflected by the newly launched attack on Rafah, the relative casualty count proves that Israel and her enabler, America, do not value a Palestinian life on par with an Israeli life. Consider, more than 10 Palestinian children have been slaughtered for every one Israeli slaughtered on October 7th [Palestinian children slaughtered: 14,500 vs. total Israelis slaughtered on 10/7: 1,139].
This is what dehumanization looks like.
To break the fog of dehumanization in our prevailing narrative, lets consider what Americans would do if we were Palestinians.
Imagine if in 1947, countries from around the world had determined in order to protect indigenous communities from genocidal suffering, 58% of the United States would be designated as a new country for the world’s indigenous communities. This new country, hypothetically called “Indigia”, would become the home of indigenous people from around the world. Any indigenous person from any country would have an absolute right of return to make a new life in Indigia.
As for the Americans who have lived on the land of Indigia for generations, they would be given a choice: move to the remaining 42% of United States or die. There would be no compensation or standing granted for redress for any harms suffered.
What would Americans do?
Our obvious response would be to resist the loss of our land by any means necessary.
Yet with each attempt to resist, Indigia, fortified by the financial, military, and diplomatic support of the wealthiest countries in the world, crushed our rebellions and punished us by taking more of the United States.
Reduced to two separate encampments comprised of approximately 22% of the former United States, we began launching waves of non-violent resistance that were met with violent oppression. We followed with increasingly violent protests that were put down with even harsher oppressive force.
What would Americans do?
Would we ever accept the sovereign legitimacy of Indigia to territory we occupied for generations?
Would we find the global consensus in favor of Indigia a compelling justification to agree to live peacefully on our splintered territory?
This is where we were on October 6th, 2023.
What would Americans have done?