It’s impossible not to be exposed to the propaganda of justification for the ongoing genocide in Gaza, and the broader occupation in Palestine. Sometimes an argument seems strong, but you have only to lean in to see that most arguments to explain this occupation actually imply their opposite. Let’s steelman a number of the claims thrown out in support of Israel’s destruction of the Palestinian people and see where our logic takes us.

“Hamas takes aid intended for civilians.” 

You believe Hamas is taking aid away from people and you’re mad about that. In which case, you want people to be fed, and you oppose starvation. In which case you should demand that the UN aid organizations be allowed to resume their work, that they not be bombed and targeted, that the hundreds of trucks lined up at the border be allowed in, that the Rafah border be opened, that the Freedom Flotillas enter, that Doctors should be allowed to bring extra food to their colleagues and patients aren’t malnourished. On the other hand, in you’re ok with the aid being cut off, then why would you be upset by the purported divergence of aid by Hamas. Is it wrong for aid to be diverted from people or not? 

“Hamas uses human shields.” 

You believe that Hamas uses human shields and you’re mad about that. Who do you imagine those purported human shields to be? This is obviously a reference to Palestinian civilians. If you are upset that their lives would be endangered in this way, you should be equally mad about IDF using human shields and you should be proportionally incensed about 60,000 civilians [known] dead, the systematic bombing of civilians, and the starvation of an entire population. On the other hand, if you’re ok with these civilian deaths, they why would you be upset by Hamas’ purported use of human shields? Are their lives precious or are they not?

“The hostages must be returned.”

You want the Israeli hostages held by Hamas to be released? In which case you were happy with the ceasefire which successfully returned dozens of hostages, in which case you should be angry with Israel for refusing to move to the second stage of the ceasefire, and for continuing to place other “priorities ” above their safe return, for continuing to bomb the very places that they are held, and for continuing their siege, which inevitably leads to their starvation, along with everyone else within Gaza. The ceasefire is the only method by which those hostages were returned at scale, it provided the pathway for all to be returned, and it was broken by Israel. They want the hostages to remain so they can sustain their justification for this occupation, genocide, ethnic cleansing- talk about human shields! And once again, if you oppose the capture of civilians as prisoners and hostages in war, you should be proportionately incensed about the 10,000 Palestinian hostages held by Israel. On the other hand, if you’re ok with Israel breaking the ceasefire and failing to accept the terms provided to them by Hamas, again and again, you must not prioritize the return of those hostages. 

“It’s not a genocide” 

You immediately reject the term, because it is unfathomable that Israel is targeting civilians, is intentionally destroying a nation of people. Yet so many people justify the barbarity of the occupation by insisting that Hamas does not think Israel should exist. In which case you acknowledge that it is possible for people to want others not to exist. You are more inclined to believe their words of denial rather than their explicit actions. You unknowingly justify genocide in fact on the basis of an alleged genocide in thought.

Look at the facts. The homes, hospitals, schools targeted. The sheer body count. The language of the Israeli. Genocide is not a thought crime, it is a crime of action. The Israeli army’s own database recently revealed they estimate “at least 83% of the Gaza dead are civilians.” Their true estimate is closer to 90%. Trust the data. Trust the facts. The civilians are the target. This is genocide.

“All news from Gaza is propaganda.” 

You shut off your sympathy for two million people being tortured every day by telling yourself that the news from Gaza is untrue. You tell yourself these must be biased portrayals. If this were true, then you would encourage and allow non-Palestinian journalists to enter, to document, and to exit alive. If you want a different portrayal than the one provided by the only witnesses, allow more witnesses. Israel has murdered 274 journalists, and counting, since October 7, 2023. Most of the time, Israel will claim the journalists were Hamas. Civilians with active social media accounts are also targeted.  Understand that Israel does not want any witnesses, the issue is not the identity of those reporting but the act of reporting itself. 

“October 7 was so horrific, this is necessary.”

You feel that “nothing justified October 7th but October 7th justifies everything.” You believe the attack was so horrific it warrants any and all response, however disproportionate, however many lives are bombed, starved, sniped or scourged in the process. Be so afraid of this logic. We once decided as a society that even if bad things are done, we should be bound by certain terms of engagement NOT to starve, NOT to ethnically cleanse, not to target schools, hospitals, schools, civil workers, journalists, aid workers, civilians. When you cite atrocities of Hamas as justification for genocide, you erase the line between soldier and civilian. Those international laws setting rules of engagement a dangerous precedent to set, especially for us as civilians of a county whose leader’s actions have been (and continue to be) so harmful. The notion that all Palestinians should be accountable for the actions of Hamas sets a terrifying precedent. Should your life and mine and my children’s be taken in compensation when American politicians commit atrocities? I shudder to think. Let he whose elected officials have not sinned cast the first stone.

 

Ultimately, we can only engage so much in debate. There are many whose minds are closed, and others who don’t even mean what they say, but keep tapping at the consciousness of the people around you, see which of the jenga pieces have some give, and don’t shy away from the discussion. All roads lead to truth, all logic leads to condemnation of atrocities, consciousness leads to humanity