Both Hamas are Israel are guilty of human rights violations, and everyone must be careful not to treat Palestinians as children of a lesser God. Human rights are inviolate, and all violators must be held accountable.
America cannot wash its hands of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. When an American Palestinian journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh, was shot dead by Israeli soldiers in May 2022, the United States did little to bring the culprits to account. Shireen, who like me was born in the Biblical town of Bethlehem, had become a popular reporter because of her effort to convey the news as impartially as possible. Washington, with the exception of principled senators like Chris Van Hollen, who insisted on the investigation and accountability for Shireen, allowed the Israelis to get away literally with murder without even holding a proper investigation. This gave the world the signal that Israel will be treated differently even when it comes to the killing of an American journalist.
Another recent example of U.S. policy that Palestinians see as hypocritical but is probably little known to most Americans involves the decision by the Biden administration to allow Israel into the visa waiver program. This program, run by the Department of Homeland Security, permits most nationals of other nations to travel to the United States for 90 days without obtaining a visa. Israel had sought inclusion into this program for many years.