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Language is a powerful tool that can be used for good or ill. It can be honest or dishonest or somewhere in between. Words can be used to persuade and inspire but also to distract and evade. And, whether it be in Ukraine or Gaza, we know that the words of politicians and generals can sometimes prompt, or prolong, or even prevent, a war.
Words can and do bring about change. But only if they are taken seriously and acted on with integrity.
In a recent Tribune op-ed addressing the war in Gaza, U.S. Rep. Sean Casten writes that “I weep for every civilian killed and every family torn apart” and that “the United States has a responsibility to do everything in its power to prevent future suffering and allow aid to flow into Gaza to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis.” Casten also mentions that he represents “one of the largest Palestinian American communities in the country.”
While I appreciate these sentiments, as the war in Gaza rages, how will Casten represent those constituents? What does the “responsibility” that he alludes to actually require of the U.S. government in terms of action? Though a longtime Casten supporter, I am troubled by his position on the latest war between Israel and Hamas. Thus far, he and President Joe Biden’s administration have fully supported Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s all-out offensive and done little to slow the bombing or diminish the horrific suffering of the Palestinian people in Gaza.
More than 20,000 Palestinian civilians — two-thirds of whom are women and children — have been killed in Gaza by the Israeli military in just over two months, according to health officials. And those not killed have been displaced and are on the run — nearly 2 million people desperately fleeing the war. But there is no place to hide. The borders are closed. The only thing harder to find than water and food is medical care.
No one has forgotten that this Israeli offensive was in response to a horrific assault unleashed by Hamas on Israel on Oct. 7, which brutally killed 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians. Hamas viciously attacked Israel, and Israel is still retaliating. And seeking revenge, it would seem, as evidenced by Israel slaughtering more than 15 times as many people. Fifteen times. Violence begets violence.
[ 2023 in review: A look at the Israel-Hamas war through Tribune op-eds ]
On Dec. 20, two days before Casten’s op-ed appeared, I participated in a Zoom call with him and six other constituents to discuss the situation in Gaza and the possibility of a cease-fire. The call was led by a couple of Palestinian doctors who knew the situation in Gaza firsthand and made an eloquent and compelling case for a cease-fire.
Chicago Tribune Opinion
Casten listened respectfully but later told us that the situation was complicated and that there were many factors to consider. He reminded us that there is civilian death and “collateral damage” in any war. And then he claimed that the number of Palestinian civilians killed in Gaza was probably less than was being reported, implying that the numbers from the Gaza Health Ministry were not reliable and that he had access to information that we didn’t. He said that 8,000 to 8,500 of the 20,000 killed were likely Hamas soldiers.
I’m not a politician, nor a policy specialist, nor a historian, but just a voter. However, the use of such “alternative facts” is disturbing and dangerous, as they would seem to offer cover for the Israeli military to continue its bombing campaign.
Casten, though, is not the first to question the number of civilian dead in Gaza. Biden made related comments in October. “I have no confidence in the number that the Palestinians are using,” he said. He later added: “I’m sure innocents have been killed, and it’s the price of waging a war.”
Whose words are we to believe? The Israeli and U.S. war machines or the civilians? Reaffirming its core commitment to the protection of civilians in war, on Dec. 12, the United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly in favor of an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza. Not surprisingly, the U.S. and Israel voted against it. I’m left wondering how many more thousands of Palestinian civilians will die before the Biden administration and Congress withdraw support for the Netanyahu offensive and attempt to stop the mindless killing. When will we support a cease-fire?
The war has already decimated Gaza and tens of thousands of Israeli and Palestinian lives. There is nothing left to win. But we might try to stop the spiral of loss, to stanch the open wounds of this beaten and bloody region.
Tom Montgomery Fate is an emeritus professor at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn. His most recent book is “The Long Way Home,” a collection of essays.
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