I'm saddened to see the lessons of the tyranny of Gender Ideology not grasped with respect to other situations, Meghan. Your rephrasing of what those of us speaking out against the leveling of Palestine are saying is so reminiscent of what we endure constantly at the hands of TRAs (and what I experience in my life as an environmental/justice activist in general.) As the bizarre misrepresentation of our views deepens, so does the repression of our voices exactly as happens on gender: bans on protests against Israel/US actions in Palestine, cancelation of social media accounts, firings and rescission of job offers, adding to decades of similar repression including bans on BDS, etc, etc etc It is this cancel-mentality, this suppression that I wish you would speak out against.

And yes, having closely followed much-hyped atrocities in Syria and elsewhere where principled skeptics were denounced (like you denounce skeptics here) and were ultimately proven right....long after everyone moved on....I DO doubt claims about some things now stated as truths regarding October 7th and the aftermath. Skepticism is warranted, and certainly not a sign of some moral deficit.

In any case, my government (US) is working hand in glove with the Israeli government to implement a barbaric strategy, that further destroys and crushes the Palestinian people after decades of oppression and destruction. I oppose this both out of a desire to stop barbarity.....and out of a desire to reduce the risk of World War III. These views, and this insistence that the long historical context preceding October 7th is highly relevant, are valid, rational, and compassionate. For my Jewish partner and me, standing up now with very clear messages about the need for both a ceasefire and at long last civil rights for Palestinians, is essential.