Collateral Damage is Not The Same As Murder

This past week, a young couple–one Jewish, one Christian–was murdered outside their home in Washington, D.C. They weren’t soldiers. They weren’t armed. They were simply walking home from work at the Israeli embassy. They were set to be engaged next week in Jerusalem. Instead, they were gunned down in cold blood–for no reason other than their association with Israel.

I shared a tribute to them on social media. I honored their light. I expressed sorrow for their loss and said what should be obvious:

If you cannot condemn this kind of murder, you have lost your way.

But what followed shocked me. The comments–dozens of them–celebrated their deaths. Some said it was “karma.” Others excused the killing as deserved payback for what’s happening in Gaza. I saw the dehumanization of innocent people in real time. I saw moral clarity twisted into moral collapse.

So to be clear:

Collateral damage during war is tragic. But it is not the same as targeting unarmed civilians and executing them for their identity, their profession, or their beliefs.The deaths in Gaza are tragic, yes. But those tragedies are largely the result of a corrupt terrorist regime–Hamas–that has refused every opportunity for peace.

They have refused to surrender.

They have refused to return the hostages.

They continue to use the people of Gaza–especially children–as human shields.

The Israeli government does not celebrate the loss of life. But Hamas glorifies death. It builds its strategy on martyrdom and manipulation. And too many in the West have fallen for the trap of false equivalency.

I will write it again: Murdering peaceful people walking home from work is not resistance. It is hate.It is evil.

If your outrage only activates when certain people are killed–but turns cold or celebratory when Jews are murdered–then your outrage is not rooted in justice.It’s rooted in prejudice.

I will continue to speak up for life. For truth. For real peace.

And I will honor the memory of this couple–Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim–whose love, courage, and commitment to peace stood taller than the cowardice of the man who took their lives.

May their memory be a blessing.

May their light guide ours.

Am Israel Chai and Shabbat Shalom

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