As an American I think it’s helpful to put this into some sort of perspective.
Things the US won’t forget:
- Tiananmen Square (thousands dead)
Things the US will forget:
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Korean War (3mil civilian dead)
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Vietnam War (2mil civilian dead)
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Iraqi War (1mil civilian dead)
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Violent overthrow of East Timor (widely considered a genocide)
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Violent overthrow of Afghanistan (twice, over 1 mil dead)
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Violent overthrow of Nicaragua
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Violent overthrow of Grenada
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Violent overthrow of Panama
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Violent overthrow of Libya
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Coup d’etat of Guatemala
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Coup d’etat of Iran
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Failed Coup d’etat of Syria
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Failed Coup d’etat of Indonesia
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Many failed Coup d’etat attempts on Cuba
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Coup d’etat of Congo
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Coup d’etat of Laos
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Coup d’etat of the Dominican Republic
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Coup d’etat of Iraq
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Coup d’etat of Brazil
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Successful Coup d’etat of Indonesia (1 mil dead)
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Coup d’etat of Chile
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Multiple Coup d’etat of Bolivia
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Coup d’etat of Haiti
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Multiple Coup d’etat attempts on Venezuela
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Coup d’etat of Palestine
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Mass civilian casualties, destabilization of many governments, people subject to a lifetime of torture without a trial, all under the War on Terror
This list could be so much longer, but I gotta get to work.
I think the strongest argument is this:
Before Oct 7, Gazans had been living in a concentration camp for 17 years. Israel regularly bombed, cut off food/water/medical supplies, prevented the Palestinians from fishing or having an airport, tortured prisoners, killed hundreds of peaceful protesters, etc etc. While Gazans endured these 17 years of horror, Israelis normalized it. The world was ok with it. While the Arab populations stand with Palestine, Arab governments were making deals with Israel, normalizing the slow genocide of Gaza.
There was no future for Gaza, no hope for Gaza, only slow genocide.
By taking hostages, the slow genocide has become a quick one. But now, at least, the eyes of the world are on Palestine. Instead of dying quietly, their deaths are headline news around the world. When fighting for their freedom and humanity, Gazans had 0 bargaining chips. Now with the hostages, they have 1.