This is adapted from a social video I published.
Last year, when I published a video I made about Palestine, I stayed close to my own lane: the documented killings of Palestinian journalists. That’s my trade, my expertise. It’s also considered a war crime.
Over my years of local reporting on economic issues, I’ve received criticism about speaking about geopolitics, and about *not* speaking about geopolitics. So I don’t know what to do other than be honest.
And, to be honest, I keep thinking about Hind Rajab, the little girl in Gaza who was the same age two years that my daughter is today. As Omar El Akkad has written: “There’s no such thing as someone else’s children.”
After her family was killed by what appears to be Israeli air strikes, Hind was alone, trapped, and scared and crying. She told emergency services that she had wet herself, and she needed help. She was later found dead, along with the Palestine Red Crescent Society medics sent to reach her.
And now, as the regional war with Iran has pulled attention elsewhere, Palestinian suffering has not paused. Gaza remains one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises, and the broader pressure on Palestinians has continued.
To those who might ask, why this issue: if the question is whether I oppose children being killed, anywhere, the answer is yes. Completely, yes. And if the question is whether Palestine is one of the handful of most dire humanitarian crises in the world right now, the answer to that is also yes. So the moral obligation, as I see it, is to relieve what suffering I can.
So I made a $500 donation to the Palestine Red Crescent Society. That is not very much, and I know it. I also know my tools are limited, and that the facts on the ground can change. But I also know part of my role is to be clear about what I value. I am interested in work that makes opportunity more accessible to more people.
I promise to be honest about how I try to navigate a complex world. This is one small step I’m making toward a moral obligation, and if you can I hope you will too.