Jake Ruderman ’26
Opinions Editor
With each passing day, the genocide of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip worsens as the Israeli military intensifies its campaign of ethnic cleansing via the violent displacement of hundreds of thousands under the pretense of uprooting Hamas. Their latest offensive, an unrelenting and complete military takeover of Gaza City, has exacerbated the months-long humanitarian crises of famine, malnutrition, and a lack of access to proper medical care to previously unseen levels.
Israel’s response to Hamas’s October 7 attacks, which saw 1,400+ Israelis killed or captured, was initially supported by the majority of the world, including dozens of world leaders, who were quick to denounce violence and the killing of innocent civilians, even in an area of incredibly high tension as a result of decades of land disputes and violence. But, as the Israeli military campaign to uproot and systematically disassemble Hamas quickly proved to be something far more sinister, some world leaders, politicians, academics, human rights activists, and more, called out their actions for what they have revealed themselves to be: a thinly veiled ethnic cleansing of the people that have long been the thorn in Israel’s side. Curiously, many of those world leaders and prominent politicians who were so quick to condemn the loss of innocent lives have remained silent as civilian casualties climb by the day.
As I write, the current Palestinian death toll stands at 64,368, with over 160,000 injured and hundreds of thousands displaced from their homes. While some could argue that Hamas is responsible for instigating the most recent installment of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (though I’d implore them to educate themselves on the historical context of the last ~80 years), it’s simply implausible to endorse the pre-meditated killings of civilians at unfathomable rates. While data conflicts, reports credibly estimate between 70-85% of all casualties in Gaza have been civilians, with unprecedented numbers of children dead and injured, both from active military offensives and the famine that Israel’s complete blockade of foreign aid has caused.
While I certainly can (and will) say much more about the horrors of the genocide itself, I’m choosing to focus, today, on how the ongoing genocide affects YOU, the average Holy Cross student, in a plea for your attention. I’ve talked to dozens of students about the genocide and while some are heavily opinionated one way or another, the vast majority seem to hold an irreverence and indifference towards the entire situation. This intentional ignorance of the immoral infuriates me to my core and is why I feel the need to write this article today. I firmly believe that the Palestinian plight serves not only as evidence of the orientalism and othering that still plague our world today, but also as the seminal microcosm of oppression and persecution in the social media age.
When I encounter such apathy, whether on campus or not, my thoughts always return to Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s infamous “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” and its impeccable arguments posited on the disregard of the immoral. While imprisoned in 1963 for peacefully protesting against segregation in the American south, King eloquently penned that “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
King goes on to argue that the civilian has a moral obligation to disobey unjust laws, explaining that “an unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law.” He further defends his point, emphasizing that written laws and moral laws are not always aligned, as in the case of Hitler’s actions in Nazi Germany, which, King reminds the reader, were undertaken legally.
Ultimately, the crux of King’s argument is that the principle of injustice necessitates those with the privilege and ability to speak out against it to do so. While it’s shamefully easy to tune out the depressing news coming from Gaza under the guise that ‘it doesn’t impact me,’ the oppression of any group on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class, or any other category should set off alarm bells immediately and inspire a call to action. If none of Dr. King’s arguments for justice and morality elicit a sense of obligation, try and view the genocide through a selfish lens: if this can happen to them, why can’t it happen to me? The argument is simple and rudimentary, but powerful. If the systematic ethnic cleansing of a people can happen to Palestinians, just as it has with indigenous Americans and countless other victims of colonialism throughout history, then what’s stopping you from being targeted next? Hypocrisy is as dangerous a sedative as there is; if you wouldn’t want it to happen to you, then you shouldn’t allow it to happen to someone else.
In a social era defined by increasing individualism as a result of an overreliance on social media and the loss of communal spaces, it’s never been easier to ignore someone else’s struggles. Over the last few months, I’ve found myself screaming into the void that oppression is only sustainable when a large, unaffected population chooses to ignore the persecution of their fellow civilians and neighbors. Simply staying quiet and minding your own business is not enough when injustice is being done unto those who’ve borne the burden of being born an outsider to the ever-exclusive club of the accepted.
While it’s unfortunate that it has to be said, for posterity’s sake, let me be crystal clear. None of my advocacy for the support of Palestinian resistance to oppression and genocide calls for antisemitism towards uninvolved Israelis in any way, shape, or form. Being a Zionist is not the same as being Jewish, which is not the same as being Israeli—the three categorical denominations share points of intersection, sure, but the uniform conflation of the three is simply wrong and inaccurate. So no, it’s not a this or that deal. Supporting the Palestinian cause is not inherently antisemitic, and any assumption of the sort is foolish and ill-informed.
If any part of this article resonated with you, then good! It’s not too late to get active, cast off your cloak of apathy, and join the fray of social advocacy. We welcome you with open arms and eagerly anticipate the impact of our ultimate unification. Join those who have opened their eyes and minds to the struggles of the oppressed on our Sisyphean-quest of giving a voice to the voiceless and rebuking unjust laws.
Copy Edited by Ella Woei ’26
Featured image courtesy of ABC News
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