OPINION: One year after October 7th, dehumanization continues

Photo credit: Danny Murnin/The New Political

Danny Murnin, a Senior studying Journalism, argues that the conflict in the Middle East is about human rights being violated on both sides.

This coming Monday marks one year since the bloody event that threw the Middle East into mass chaos, which doesn’t appear to be ending any time soon. 

On Oct. 7, 2023, the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a deadly attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people. Hamas is a terrorist organization and is designated as such by the United States. Simply stating that 1,200 people died on Oct. 7 doesn’t even begin to cover the scale of what took place that day. The way some of the victims died was utterly barbaric and there are well-documented reports of mass sexual violence inflicted upon victims. 

The Israeli response to Oct. 7 has been harsh and punishing. It is important to acknowledge that this has created a horrific humanitarian situation in Gaza. Israel has an obligation to do everything it possibly can to minimize the number of civilian deaths, accidental or not. The confirmed death toll stands at over 40,000, including more than 10,000 children. I don’t think it's unreasonable to say that eliminating Hamas shouldn’t come at the expense of killing 10,000 kids. Wars almost always claim more innocent lives than combatant lives, but it is ghoulish to simply dismiss 10,000 dead kids as collateral damage that is exclusively the fault of Hamas. Dehumanization of innocent people isn’t okay and I won’t bow down to the level of pretending it is. 

Still, it is a fact that those 10,000 kids and all the other innocent Palestinians who have died would still be alive if Oct. 7 didn’t happen. When you invade a sovereign nation, slaughter 1,200 of its people and take 250 more people hostage, it is foolish to think a war won’t start. Of course, this is what Hamas wanted, because they don’t care about innocent Palestinian lives. Hamas military leader Yahwa Sinwar has said as much himself, calling the civilian deaths “necessary sacrifices”. It was a disgusting maneuver which is why I find it infuriating that so many people still cling to this vile notion that Oct. 7 was a legitimate act of resistance. 

I’m willing to say right now that the innocent Palestinian deaths in this conflict are unjustified and tragic. I believe that the best path to peace is a two-state solution that gives Palestinians complete self-governance over their own sovereign territory. I believe that Palestinians have the right to exist in the region of Palestine and that they are a people who deserve just as much dignity and respect as anyone else. 

But, I also believe those same things about Israel, and there is no legitimate reason why others shouldn’t as well. I often see comments from people who point to the way Israel was formed and how its borders grew as justification for calling for its elimination. But is being focused on the past really going to change anything for the better? The idea that Israel will cease to exist and all its people will either be killed or flee is nothing more than a hateful pipe dream out of touch with basic reality. 

People like me would be forgiven for thinking that Jewish identity has something to do with it. As outlined by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), there was an outpouring of support in activist circles for Hamas’ actions on Oct. 7 within the first week after the attacks. The crowd that consistently says they are anti-war sure doesn’t seem to have a problem with the acts of war committed on Oct. 7. ​​

According to ADL data, there was a 388% increase in anti-Semitic incidents in the United States in the weeks following Oct. 7 compared to the same period in 2022. The same is true across the globe. In Germany, officials reported a 240% increase in anti-Semitic incidents following the attack. This spring, encampments on college campuses protesting support for Israel were a goldmine for anti-Semitism.

Specifically regarding college campuses, an ADL survey shows just 45.5% of Jewish students report feeling “extremely” or “very” physically safe on their college campus post-Oct. 7. Before Oct. 7, that number stood at 66.6%. Read that again. Since Oct. 7, the percentage of Jewish college students who feel safe where they go to school has dropped more than 20 points. How is this okay?

A survey of American Jews conducted this spring by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) paints an equally sobering picture; 87% of those surveyed said they believe anti-Semitism has risen in the United States since Oct. 7. 

All around, this is just a very tragic and upsetting situation. Oct. 7 was a brutal terrorist attack that was in no way justified. Israel has a right to respond to it and eliminate Hamas, and they should do so. But a distinction must be made between Hamas and the innocent people in Gaza who have bore the brunt of Israel’s response. These are actual human beings who can’t just be written off as numbers. The amount of dehumanization of Palestinians that has taken place is simply outrageous. It can have horrible consequences, too. A week after Oct. 7, a 6-year-old Palestinian-American boy in Chicago died after being stabbed 26 times because he and his mother, who was also stabbed, were Muslim. 

Likewise, the sheer amount of anti-Semitism on display in America since Oct. 7 along with the attempted justification of the events of Oct. 7 is abhorrent, as I’ve already discussed. 

The Israel-Palestine conflict is a deeply complicated, very nuanced situation. There are no easy answers. What I wish we could all agree on is that no death of innocents should be celebrated and that there should be no trying to justify it. Let’s at least try to be decent people here. Hating and dehumanizing the other side won’t get anyone closer to where they want to be. 

Please note that these views and opinions do not reflect those of The New Political.