On Oct. 10, 2023, I came across an article by Veronica Eichberg, an FSU student, regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the Her Campus homepage. Titled “I Am Not OK & Your Jewish Friends Aren’t Either,” the writer states the Hamas attacks are “a deliberate and methodical campaign of violence against Jewish people,” a telling stance that would become the forefront defense for any criticism of Israel in the coming months. At the time, I also believed that any contention to that sentiment would mistakenly and unjustly be labeled as antisemitic as I struggled to write a perfectly crafted article that would best articulate my thoughts. Yes, I may have donated to humanitarian groups and reposted the Instagram graphics and, no, I may never have a cup of Starbucks or a Big Mac again, but there is always more to be said. And three and a half months later, as many Palestinians have been silenced by the loss of their lives, it’s selfish to be silent by choice.
The previously mentioned Her Campus article further states the personal sentiments of another Jewish-American college student: “Antisemitism is real and sometimes it feels like going to Israel is my only escape from it. It’s the only place where I can be Jewish or speak Hebrew freely without worrying about being the victim of a hate crime.” This article is not written as an invalidation of their fear nor their feelings, but a reminder that by framing this as a war on the Jewish and not on Israel, you are implicitly burying the over 75 years of oppression, apartheid and persecution of the Palestinian people at the hands of the Israeli state. A reminder that despite the absolute validity of fearing the rise of antisemitism in the United States, one should not ignore the moral or rational depravity of fleeing victimhood by making victims of others. As an African-American woman, I am all too familiar with being a part of a community with a long history of ethnic persecution. Yet, if I were to learn I had now-claimed ancestral land in Africa today, I would have absolutely no rational nor moral right to go and settle there tomorrow, even if it allowed me to escape racism in the United States.
That Her Campus article was only a glimpse into the war of propaganda, with Israel’s main tactic of using accusations of antisemitism in response to criticism of Israel having been employed to deflect scrutiny and garner support. While one cannot in true fashion deny the existence of antisemitic rhetoric during the conflict, it is not antisemitism, but anti-Zionism that drives the overwhelming support for the people of Gaza, a belief often equated with antisemitism by those who wish to defend the existence and expansion of the Israeli state.
The most frequent argument, however, is that Hamas started this war, a fact that I will not deny. Yet, pro-Palestine supporters often are asked the question of denouncing Hamas, as if acknowledging the wrongdoing of the Hamas attack and expressing concern about Israel’s unprecedented response are mutually exclusive. I denounce the Oct. 7 attack of Hamas that killed over 1,300 Israelis. Why is it we are never asked if we denounce Israel who caused over 6,000 Palestinian fatalities since 2008? Or if we denounce Israel’s “indiscriminate bombing” of Gaza that has destroyed “339 education facilities, 26 hospitals, 56 health care facilities, 88 mosques and three churches” or countless Israeli human rights violations that preceded the Oct. 7 attack? I also denounce Israel’s illegal expansion and occupation of the West Bank. As emphasized by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in front of the UN, despite Hamas’ war conduct, Israel is not absolved of its crimes and the Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack “can never justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.”
The world has watched as the death toll in Palestine has reportedly reached over 25,000 people as every Western power sits on its hands. Unless, of course, they are the U.S., who directly aided the oppression and killing of the Palestinian people, bypassing Congress to use our American tax money to send ammunition and weaponry to Israel while concurrently abusing its position on the UN Security Council to veto the resolution that would call for a ceasefire in Palestine. The U.S. Deputy Ambassador stated the U.S. blocked the resolution because “Hamas has no desire to see a durable peace, to see a two-state solution.” And yet, it was Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who recently rejected the U.S.’ proposition for a peaceful two-state solution, stating “I will not compromise on full Israeli security control over all the territory west of Jordan–and this is contrary to a Palestinian state.” The Israeli Prime Minister has now stated explicitly that he will not see to a two-state solution, and yet a ceasefire is delayed under faux desires for long-term peace while thousands of Palestinians continue to perish (70 percent of which were women and children as of December 2023).
I leave you with a single passage, written by Veronica two months after she typed “it is unthinkable to consider carrying on as usual while people are being killed, raped, tortured,” and as more than 300 Palestinian educational facilities lay in rubble and the Palestinian death toll prepared to pass 20,000:
“Today, I woke up in my very own apartment. I got dressed in my favorite workout set and attended classes at my dream university. I admired the palm trees and vibrant flowers and listened to my favorite song on the walk home. I got to tell my mom I got all As and heard her say she’s proud of me. I spent the night laughing and dancing with people who have grown to be my best friends and came home to a freshly made bed with my favorite sheets.”
Who is not okay?