I meant to write this post a long time ago, but I wanted time to think before adding my voice to one of the most emotionally charged and controversial conflicts in the world.
The horrific October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israeli civilians shocked the world. More than a thousand people were killed, many others were injured, and hundreds were taken hostage. The deliberate targeting of civilians is a war crime. It was morally wrong then, and it is morally wrong now. It deserves condemnation from governments, human rights organizations, and anyone who claims to value human life.
Before I go any further, I want to make something absolutely clear because I know how discussions like this often unfold.
The opinions expressed here are mine and mine alone. They do not represent my family, my friends, any organization I’m affiliated with, my political allies, or anyone else in my life. If you disagree with what I’ve written, direct your criticism toward me. Don’t harass people who have nothing to do with my opinions. I am fully capable of standing behind my own words.
I also want to address something else before anyone tries to define my position for me or paint me as something that I am not.
I have no hatred toward Jewish people.
I have never embraced the claim that Ashkenazi Jews are somehow “not real Jews.” Even during periods of my life when I listened to voices like Louis Farrakhan, I never accepted that belief or similar conspiratorial ideas. I have always recognized the tremendous sacrifices many Jewish-Americans made during the Civil Rights Movement. Some literally gave their lives alongside Black Americans in the fight for equality. That history matters, and it deserves to be remembered.
My appreciation isn’t just historical.
Jewish-Americans played meaningful roles in my own life. A Jewish businessman helped mentor my father as he became an entrepreneur. Jewish educators and peers encouraged my academic growth and helped put me on the path toward college. When I entered a new school district in a largely unfamiliar community, some of my very first friends were Jewish students who welcomed me.
Throughout my life, I have also spoken out against antisemitic conspiracy theories and stereotypes. I’ve challenged them publicly because they are false, harmful, and fundamentally incompatible with my values.
So when I criticize the actions of the Israeli government, understand that my criticism has never been rooted in hostility toward Jewish people.
I want Jewish people everywhere to live safely, practice their faith freely, preserve their culture, and enjoy the same dignity and security that every human being deserves.
But supporting Jewish people does not require me to support every action taken by the Israeli government.
It never has.
For years, I have opposed the continued expansion of Israeli settlements, the occupation of Palestinian territories, discriminatory policies that many respected human rights organizations have criticized, and the unconditional military and diplomatic support the United States often provides regardless of the circumstances.
None of those positions come from hatred. They come from applying the same moral standards that I apply everywhere else.
Israel has a right to defend its citizens from armed attacks.
And, Palestinians also have the right to live free from oppression, occupation, and collective punishment.
Those two statements are not contradictory. They are an equal application of consistant morality to different groups on either side of this issue.
As a Black American, I understand something about oppression and about how oppressed people are often condemned whenever they resist systems that deny them freedom and dignity. History is full of examples.
Enslaved Africans in the United States were portrayed as criminals whenever they rebelled against slavery. Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress were once labeled terrorists because they resisted apartheid. Haiti’s successful revolution frightened colonial powers so much that the new nation was economically punished for generations. The Mau Mau in Kenya, Vietnamese resistance fighters, Irish republicans, and countless other liberation movements were often remembered primarily for their violence while the violence of the systems they opposed received far less attention.
Recognizing that history does not excuse atrocities committed by those movements. The deliberate killing of civilians is wrong regardless of who does it and why.
But understanding why violence emerges is not the same thing as celebrating violence. Too often people confuse explanation with justification. I don’t.
The same moral standard that leads me to condemn Hamas for intentionally targeting civilians on October 7, 2023, also leads me to condemn the immense suffering inflicted upon Palestinian civilians throughout this conflict by the Israeli government.
Thousands of Palestinian civilians, including children, have lost their lives. Entire neighborhoods have been destroyed. Families have been displaced repeatedly. Hospitals, schools, and refugee camps have become targets and battlefields. Humanitarian organizations have documented extraordinary levels of suffering.
No child deserves that.
No civilian deserves that.
When leaders use language that appears to dehumanize entire populations or suggest that innocent civilians are acceptable collateral damage, it should concern all of us. History has shown repeatedly that dehumanization often precedes enormous human tragedy.
Some people will point out that anti-Black racism exists within segments of Palestinian society in a cynical effort to get Black people to excuse the disproportionate violence against them. They’re right that anti-Black racism exists within segments of the Palestinian and greater Arab community. But, anti-Black racism also exists within Israel, the Israeli population and the Jewish diaspora around the world.
It exists in Europe.
It exists throughout Africa.
It exists in Asia.
It exists throughout the Americas.
It exists almost everywhere.
But my opposition to the killing of civilians cannot depend upon whether the victims hold enlightened views about race.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. famously wrote that “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
I’ve quoted that statement for years because I believe it.
If I oppose injustice only when it affects people who agree with me, or only when it affects people who look like me, then I don’t actually oppose injustice. I’m simply choosing sides.
That isn’t who I want to be. My moral compass requires consistency.
I condemn Hamas AND Israel for murdering civilians. I condemn the taking of hostages. I condemn terrorism. I condemn collective punishment. I condemn indiscriminate attacks on civilians. And, I condemn violations of international humanitarian law regardless of who commits them.
That standard applies equally whether the victims are Israeli or Palestinian.It should apply to every government and every armed group.
Ultimately, I don’t believe this conflict will be solved through endless retaliation.
Violence creates more violence. Trauma creates more trauma. Children raised amid war often become adults who know nothing except war.
The world desperately needs diplomacy, accountability, humanitarian relief, the protection of civilians, the release of hostages, and a political solution that recognizes the humanity of both Israelis and Palestinians.
Peace cannot be built upon revenge. Justice cannot exist without equal value being placed on every human life.
That has always been my position.
And it remains my position today.