The Danger in 'Dehumanizing' Palestinians

"COMPASSION AND EMPATHY ARE NOT ZERO-SUM COMMODITIES," THIS MIDDLE EAST EXPERT SAYS

- Khaled Elgindy

THE SCALE AND BRUTALITY OF HAMAS' grisly attack on Israel on October 7, in which at least 1,300 Israeli men, women and children were brutally murdered, has understandably triggered a massive outpouring of sympathy and solidarity with Israel from around the world, particularly in the United States, Europe and other western nations.

Meanwhile, Palestinians in Gaza are also dying in disturbingly large numbers. In response to the mass terror attack, Israel launched a massive aerial bombardment of Gaza, the most devastating the besieged enclave has ever seen. Already, more than 2,200 Palestinians have been killed and 8,500 injured. Entire neighborhoods have been leveled, leaving over 423,000 internally displaced.

And yet, there has been no similar outpouring of sympathy for Palestinians. In fact, the U.S. and European powers have resisted formal calls for a ceasefire or even expressions of concern for Palestinian civilians, effectively giving Israel a greenlight to conduct its military operation as it sees fit. Even Israel's decision to cut all water, food, fuel and medical supplies to Gaza considered a grave war crime under international law and something western officials have elsewhere decried as "acts of pure terror"-elicited no protests from western governments and even occasional defenses.

Even public displays of sympathy or solidarity with Palestinian victims are considered beyond the pale, widely condemned by elected U.S. officials as "cold-hearted" or even pro-terrorist. In the zero-sum environment of U.S. politics, only Israeli victims are worthy of being acknowledged.