Anti-Palestinian racism, also referred to as anti-Palestinianism, is defined by the Arab Canadian Lawyers Association as “a form of anti-Arab racism that silences, excludes, erases, stereotypes, defames or dehumanizes Palestinians or their narratives.”
A central feature of racism is attributing the same characteristics and behaviors to all members of a group, while disregarding individual differences. This is evident in anti-Palestinian racism, which has been openly expressed by some members of Congress.
For example, Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), now chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, stated, “I would encourage the other side to not so lightly throw around the idea of ‘innocent Palestinian civilians’… I don’t think we would so lightly throw around the term ‘innocent Nazi civilians’ during World War II.”
Jewish Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-CA) sought, unsuccessfully, to censure Mast and condemned his remarks, writing that “refusal to distinguish innocent Palestinians from Hamas terrorists is false, misleading, dehumanizing, dangerous, and unbecoming of a Member of Congress.”
Moreover, Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) has advocated for Gaza to be “nuked” like Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and suggested that there are no innocents in Gaza. He has also used the hashtag “#StarveAway.”
In 2021, when a user on X posted an image of a deceased Palestinian child pulled from rubble and asked Fine how he sleeps at night, he responded, “Quite well, actually! Thanks for the pic!”
This pattern of anti-Palestinian discrimination among government leaders is well-documented. Mike Huckabee, US Ambassador to Israel, said that “there is no such thing as a Palestinian.” And Martin Oliner, a member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, stated, regarding Gaza, “But we’re still being accused of genocide. But maybe we need to kill more civilians.”
When U.S. officials openly dehumanize Palestinians, deny their existence, or equate them collectively with terrorists, they lay the groundwork for the acceptance of mass violence and collective punishment.
Notably, Israel is the largest recipient of cumulative U.S. foreign aid, including military aid, since its founding. Consequently, Israel’s human rights violations in Gaza, such as bombing hospitals and blocking humanitarian aid, are facilitated by the acceptance of anti-Palestinianism in U.S. public debate. To stop this cycle, America must confront the deep-rooted prejudice that sustains it.