Karishma Manzur, Ph.D. is a science writer living in Exeter. She volunteers with various groups, including the NH Coalition for a Just Peace in the Middle East which includes NH Veterans for Peace, VT/NH. Jewish Voice for Peace, NH Conf. of United Church of Christ, NH Peace Action, and several other organizations.

My son recently asked me, “Why does it seem like human rights depend on skin color?” The question left me momentarily speechless.

My son had just read about the escalating use of torture of Palestinian people in Israeli detention centers, including the torture of a 14-year-old Palestinian boy. My son could not understand how our nation was allowing atrocities to take place.

After the horrific atrocities of World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt saw the United Nations as the “crowning achievement of his political career.” And First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt’s credibility and stature were crucial in crafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. But how far removed are today’s American leaders and elected officials, like President Biden, President-Elect Trump, Secretary of State Blinken, Secretary of Defense Austin, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and many others, from believing in the rights of all people regardless of their race, religion, or ethnicity?

At present, some 9,500 Palestinian children, women, men, and older adults are being held captive in Israel in indefinite incommunicado detention. They are being arbitrarily held without being charged, without being told what they are accused of, without disclosure of any alleged evidence that they pose a security threat, and in the majority of cases, without access to lawyers. In addition to this cruel punishment, there are now acutely distressing testimonies of torture by the Israeli military.

The United Nations has documented substantiated reports of torture, widespread abuse, sexual assault, and rape of Palestinian people amid atrocious inhumane conditions in Israeli prisons. Palestinians have been held in cage-like enclosures, waterboarded, suspended from ceilings, forced to remain nude in public for long durations, and deprived of adequate food, water, and sleep. Imprisoned Palestinian people have been tied to beds, blindfolded, and left in diapers for long durations. They have been attacked by dogs simply for talking to another prisoner, raising their head, or changing positions. They have been subjected to electrocutions and cigarette burns, including on their genitals. Over 50 imprisoned Palestinians are known to have died over the past year as a result of this inhumane treatment.

Separately, Amnesty International interviewed a 14-year-old child who was taken from his home in northern Gaza by the Israeli army. The child was subjected to torture by Israeli soldiers, including kicking and punching in the neck and head, and repeatedly burnt with cigarette butts. Signs of cigarette burns and bruises were visible on the child’s body when Amnesty International interviewed him.

A United Nations report states, “Israel’s widespread and systemic abuse of Palestinians in detention and arbitrary arrest practices over decades, coupled with the absence of any restraints by the Israeli State since Oct. 7, 2023, paint a shocking picture enabled by absolute impunity.”

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The international nonprofit Human Rights Watch investigated the illegal abduction of over 50 Palestinian doctors, nurses, and paramedics by the Israeli military. The healthcare workers were imprisoned in the Sde Teiman military base, Anatot military base, Ashkelon prison, and the Ofer detention facility. The report outlines “gross mistreatment in Israeli custody, including humiliation, beatings, forced stress positions, prolonged cuffing and blindfolding, and denial of medical care.” The healthcare workers also reported torture, including rape and sexual abuse by Israeli forces, denial of medical care, and poor detention conditions. In a recent 154-page report, Human Rights Watch lays out the evidence of how Israeli authorities are responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Despite countless reports of torture and sexual violence against Palestinians, it was still revolting to watch a recently leaked video that showed a group of Israeli soldiers gang-raping a Palestinian man. A medical report detailed that the victim had sustained broken ribs, ruptured bowels, and a torn rectum.

If Americans need more evidence, they can watch the documentary Investigating War Crimes in Gaza, which includes self-incriminating videos of war crimes recorded by Israeli soldiers in the Gaza Strip, including footage of Palestinian prisoners being used as human shields by Israeli soldiers.

All of us should be outraged that our government and many of our elected officials are not taking concrete actions against the harrowing acts of torture of Palestinians by the Israeli military.

Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) once said, “Torture is an affront to our American values.” Since then, Sen. Hassan has rightfully spoken out about the atrocities committed by the Russian military against the Ukrainian people and the atrocities committed by Hamas against the Israeli people. Yet, Sen. Hassan has not spoken out about the ongoing atrocities being committed by the Israeli military against the Palestinian people. It makes one question whether our elected officials support human rights for all people or only select groups.

All of us should call upon Sen. Hassan and our congressional delegates to support measures to implement a system of access, monitoring, and protection of Palestinian detainees per international law.

Many world leaders have joined Pope Francis’s call for an investigation of Israel’s war on Gaza. It is difficult to comprehend that the 100,000 tonnes of bombs dropped on the Gaza Strip since October 2023 have surpassed the World War II bombings of London, Dresden, and Hamburg combined. The death toll in Gaza is over 44,000 humans killed by weapons, countless numbers buried in the rubble, and over 60,000 humans killed from forced starvation.

Efforts by many high-ranking American politicians to dehumanize Palestinians have had a range of successes. The consequences are an inability of many American citizens to conceive of Palestinians as innocent or as victims, desensitization to the atrocities suffered by Palestinians, and perceiving their killings to be less sorrowful.

We must reject such racist rhetoric, appeal to our common humanity, and support the Palestinian rights to self-determination, equality, and non-discrimination. Through such an act, we can help the rights of Palestinians and Israelis to live in peace and security.