The U.S., Israel, and Selective Justice for American Citizen

Who Really Counts? Sickening Double Standards

Two Americans die in conflict. One is Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen who recently completed his mandatory military service in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The other is Shireen Abu Akleh, a U.S.-Palestinian journalist who was shot dead by Israeli Soldiers in 2022 while reporting on Israeli military operations in the West Bank and if that enough Israel attacked the funeral causing her Body to be disturbed once again. One was a soldier in an occupying army, condemned globally for its actions against Palestinians. The other was an unarmed civilian, A Journalist, supposedly protected by International Law, risking her Life for over 20 years providing a voice to the voiceless in an illegally occupied land.

Yet, the response from the U.S. government tells a different story, one of selective justice and prioritization of certain lives over others. While there’s outcry and sympathy for Goldberg-Polin, the case of Shireen Abu Akleh has been met with a deafening silence.

The Context of Gaza: Occupation or Siege?

There’s no denying that Gaza, where Palestinians are suffering en masse, is occupied since 1967 and under siege since 2005. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that despite Israel’s 2005 “disengagement,” Gaza is regarded as occupied under international law, as affirmed by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), due to Israel’s control over its borders, airspace, and sea access. Israel also controls Gaza's power and water supply and has imposed a "Gaza diet" calorie restriction for over a decade. The ICJ has reinforced that, as an occupied people, Palestinians have the legal right to resist, including through armed resistance, in accordance with international legal frameworks. 

This resistance is not unjustified. It is the natural response of a people trapped under blockade, subjected to collective punishment, and facing systemic oppression. Meanwhile, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, as a former IDF soldier, served in a military widely condemned for its actions in the occupied Palestinian territories. The IDF has been involved in airstrikes, targeted killings, and mass civilian casualties, particularly in Gaza, where millions of civilians suffer from the consequences of Israeli military actions and plausible Genocide. 

Shireen Abu Akleh: An Innocent Life Taken Without Accountability

Shireen Abu Akleh, on the other hand, never carried a gun, never oppressed anyone. As a journalist, she was documenting the very reality that Palestinians live under illegal occupation, violence, and systemic oppression, until her death, a direct result of Israeli military actions, sparked international outrage. Yet, despite clear evidence that she was killed by Israeli forces, no one has been held accountable. The U.S. response? Mediocre at best, with no push for justice.

Contrast this with the treatment of Goldberg-Polin’s death. Although he had served in the military of an occupying force accused of a plausible Genocide, the narrative surrounding him has focused on his status as a victim of a terror attack. This, despite the fact that he was part of the same military that has been condemned for committing countless human rights abuses against Palestinians before and after the October attack. The distinction between a soldier in an oppressive army and a civilian journalist could not be more stark, yet the U.S. government’s response seems to blur these lines.

Israel’s Role and the lack of Accountability

Israel’s policies of occupation, siege, and relentless military actions are the direct cause of the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and the West Bank. The International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) have both repeatedly raised alarms over Israel’s blatant violations of international law. The brutal blockade and Bombing Campaign on Gaza, the collective punishment of millions of civilians, and the military’s ongoing occupation and expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank expose Israel for what it is:

an occupying, genocidal High-Tech military force driven by ethnic cleansing, territorial theft and mass destruction, with its illegal settlers; many of them soldiers and ex-soldiers and /or armed civilians, systematically snatching Palestinian land in a state-sponsored land theft operation. This isn’t just opportunistic; it’s a calculated, state-endorsed colonization, where "settlers" act as the foot soldiers of Israel’s ethnic cleansing project, occupying homes and land that rightfully belong to Palestinians." 

The Case of Hersh Goldberg-Polin: A Soldier in an Occupying Army

It’s important to acknowledge that Hersh Goldberg-Polin was a soldier. He completed his service in the Israeli military. That is 2 to 3 years of service to a force responsible for countless human rights violations against Palestinians. The IDF is an occupying army, and Goldberg-Polin, by extension, was part of this machinery of murder and oppression. The same Palestinians -who are forced to live under siege, who face bombs, food shortages, and diseases like polio due to Israeli actions,- are fighting an army that Goldberg-Polin served in.

Shireen Abu Akleh, by contrast, never wore a uniform but her Press Vest, never carried a weapon but her mic, and never participated in the violence, only documented it. She was an innocent journalist doing her job, trying to tell the world about the suffering of her people. Yet, when her life was unjustly taken, the response was almost non-existent.

Why? despite these undeniable atrocities, the U.S. continues to shield Israel from any meaningful consequences. Why? One key reason is the overwhelming influence of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). This powerful lobby operates behind the scenes, bending U.S. foreign policy to its will and ensuring Israel receives unconditional financial and political support, no matter how far their violations of human rights goes. AIPAC’s stronge hold on U.S. lawmakers, fueled by massive campaign contributions and relentless political pressure, creates a culture of complicity.

This is why we see the grotesque double standard: an IDF soldier is hailed as a hero and victim, while the cold-blooded murder of an unarmed Palestinian journalist is swept under the rug, dismissed without a second thought.

AIPAC’s influence ensures Israel can continue its colonial campaign, knowing full well that U.S. backing -diplomatic, financial, and military- will never shy. This toxic relationship allows Israel to act with impunity, erasing Palestinian lives, land and rights as if they mean nothing. 

This lack of accountability is not just a failure of justice, it’s a disgraceful betrayal of the very principles of human rights and international law.