The Israeli state’s treatment of Palestinians is morally objectionable

Today, Hamas launched surprise attacks against Israel by land, air, and sea. As of this writing, hundreds have died in the initial attack and Israeli reprisals. Many more are expected. CNN analyst Joshua Berlinger has called this Israel’s “Pearl Harbor Moment.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his country is now at war and “the enemy will pay a price it has never known before.”

Before making my argument, it is important to state at the outset that killing or harming innocent civilians is never justified, and the state of Israel has a right to defend itself. But I think the American people believe that what we have here is a benign state simply going about its business, being attacked by a bunch of Muslim fanatics. They imagine that if not for whatever it is that makes those Muslims go crazy, there would be peace in the Middle East.

That is a narrative that has been wholly generated by large media outlets. As a result, a group of people are being mistreated in ways that any American would find objectionable. I am talking about both the anti-racist, pro-queer, end-police-brutality folks on the Left who are quick to point out bigotry in American society and the individual freedom-loving, “don’t tread on me,” colorblind-content-of-our-character folks on the Right.

An Apartheid State

Palestinian families are being mistreated in a land they lived on before the Israeli settlements began in earnest…