Human Rights Aren’t a Partisan Issue—Unless You Let Them Be

Why Civilian Lives Deserve Better Than a Double Standard

Note: I hope everyone was able to enjoy their Memorial Day weekend. As we take moments like this to rest and reflect, I also hope we’re mindful of the sacrifices made to protect the liberties we often take for granted, especially as those freedoms can feel increasingly fragile under the weight of our own government's decisions.

Here in the U.S., we’re afforded a level of safety and reprieve that many around the world are not. For civilians in war-torn regions, peace isn’t a long weekend—it’s a distant dream. Today, I want to talk about one of those places: Palestine, and why Israel’s actions against Palestinian civilians deserve bipartisan condemnation—but too often escape it.

HOW IT STARTED (AND WHY IT'S NOT THAT SIMPLE)

The latest eruption of violence between Israel and Hamas didn’t begin on October 7, 2023, even if that’s when it first came to widespread global attention. On that day, Hamas launched a brutal and unprecedented attack on Israel, killing over 1,200 civilians and taking hostages. It was an act of terrorism by any definition; indiscriminate, horrifying, and morally indefensible.

But history didn’t begin in 2023. For decades, Gaza has been under an Israeli blockade. Palestinians there live in an open-air prison with limited access to food, electricity, water, and medical care. The West Bank remains under military occupation, with illegal settlements expanding and rights eroding. None of this justifies terrorism—but it provides necessary context. When people feel cornered, hopeless, and abandoned, violent factions like Hamas thrive.

And while Israel has a right to defend itself, Palestinians have the right to more than just survival—to freedom, dignity, and the basic conditions for a future.

WHAT'S HAPPENING—AND WHO'S PAYING THE PRICE

Israel's stated goal since October 7 has been to dismantle Hamas. But that goal has come with an overwhelming cost. According to health authorities in Gaza, over 50,000 Palestinians have been killed, with nearly a third under the age of 18. Entire families have been wiped out. Refugee camps have been bombed. Hospitals, UN shelters, and schools have been struck, some repeatedly.

Yes, Hamas embeds itself in civilian areas. Yes, urban warfare is messy and tragic. But the magnitude and pattern of Israeli strikes tell a deeper story: one not of precision, but of permissible chaos.

And it doesn’t end with the bombs.

As of March 2025, Israel imposed a complete aid blockade on Gaza—cutting off food, medicine, and fuel from over 2 million people, half of them children. While a few convoys have trickled in, the United Nations calls it a “drop in the ocean.” Aid groups have documented widespread starvation, with more than 9,000 children treated for acute malnutrition. The World Health Organization warns that Gaza’s health system is stretched beyond breaking point, with many hospitals nonfunctional due to damage or lack of supplies.

Using food as a weapon and blocking humanitarian aid is not self-defense—it’s collective punishment. And it’s a clear violation of international law.

DOUBLE STANDARDS IN BROAD DAYLIGHT

Let’s walk through the logic that dominates mainstream political discourse, particularly among Trump-aligned conservatives:

• Hamas kills civilians = terrorism

• Israel kills civilians = self-defense

• Free Palestine supporters = extremists or antisemites

• Pro-Israel hardliners = defenders of Western democracy

This isn't just flawed logic. It's moral hypocrisy.

The Real Double Standard: A Charted Breakdown

If this were happening in reverse, if Israel were the occupied people and Gaza the powerful state—most of Washington wouldn’t hesitate to call it what it is: a humanitarian catastrophe enabled by military impunity.

REBUTTING THE BAD-FAITH DEFENSES BEFORE THEY LAND

You don’t need to scroll far before someone tries to shut down this conversation with one of several deflections dressed as debate. But let’s cut those off at the pass:

1. “Hamas started it.”

Yes—and their terrorism is indefensible. But that doesn’t make every Israeli response defensible. International law doesn’t give you a pass to kill civilians just because you were attacked first. Self-defense isn’t unlimited; it’s bound by proportionality and distinction. Israel has the power—and responsibility—to wage war without leveling neighborhoods.

2. “Hamas hides among civilians. Blame them.”

Also true—but not exculpatory. Just because Hamas embeds in civilian areas doesn’t mean Israel can bomb those areas indiscriminately. The laws of war are clear: you must still avoid excessive civilian harm. Using Hamas as a human shield is a war crime; so is firing anyway and killing everyone in the room.

3. “They’re not the same. Hamas is a terrorist group—Israel is a democracy.”

Democracies can, and do, commit atrocities. Being a democracy should mean more accountability, not less. The U.S. is a democracy too, did that excuse Abu Ghraib? The Iraq War? The Vietnam War? A free press doesn’t erase the fact that mass civilian death requires moral reckoning.

4. “Criticism of Israel is antisemitism.”

No, it’s criticism of a government’s policy. You can critique the Israeli government the same way you critique Iran, China, or the U.S. Antisemitism is real and dangerous—but conflating it with policy critique cheapens the term and weaponizes identity. Many Jews, including in Israel, oppose the occupation and call for an end to the violence.

5. “Israel warns civilians to evacuate.”

To where? Gaza has been blockaded for over 17 years. There are no safe zones. People are being bombed in hospitals, shelters, even in designated humanitarian corridors. “They were warned” is not a defense when you’re herding people into killing zones.

6. “You’re defending terrorists.”

No, I’m defending civilians. Children. Journalists. Aid workers. People with no affiliation to Hamas who are being starved, bombed, and abandoned. Saying ‘Free Palestine’ doesn’t mean you support Hamas, just like saying ‘Stop the War in Iraq’ didn’t mean you supported Saddam Hussein.

Civilians First: A Nonpartisan Guide to Compassionate Action

If you're disturbed by what's happening, if your heart aches for the innocent lives lost, whether Israeli or Palestinian, if you want to help prevent another story like Hind Rajab, a child trapped in a car, calling for help until her voice went silent, there are ways to help. You don’t need to pick a side in the war to choose a side in the value of human life.

1. Support Humanitarian Relief

• Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP)

• Palestine Children's Relief Fund (PCRF)

• Doctors Without Borders (MSF)

• International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

• UNRWA

• On the Israeli side: IsraAID, Magen David Adom, Zaka

2. Advocate for Ceasefire and Accountability

Contact your representatives and demand:

• A sustained ceasefire

• Humanitarian aid corridors

• International investigations into war crimes

• Conditional U.S. aid tied to human rights

U.S. Representatives currently advocating for a ceasefire include:

• Rep. Cori Bush (MO-01)

• Rep. Rashida Tlaib (MI-12)

• Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14)

• Rep. Jamaal Bowman (NY-16)

• Rep. Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)

• Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-05)

• Rep. Mark Pocan (WI-02)

3. Elevate Voices From the Ground

• +972 Magazine, B'Tselem, Al Jazeera English

• Journalists: Motaz Azaiza, Bisan Owda, Plestia Alaqad

4. Reject Bigotry—In All Forms

• Condemn antisemitism and anti-Palestinian racism.

• Don’t let fearmongering silence necessary criticism.

5. Push Back Against Binary Narratives

• You can oppose Hamas and support Palestinian rights.

• You can support Israeli safety without excusing collective punishment.

FINAL NOTE

We are not required to choose between safety for Israelis and safety for Palestinians. We are not required to justify the deaths of children in Gaza in the name of deterrence, nor to excuse the destruction of a people because of the crimes of those who claim to represent them.

We are only required to stay human.