The term "sacred cow" comes from India and the old Hindu belief that white cows were sacred, and as it applies today it describes a concept or idea being held as so sacred that it is above reproach, and beyond questioning or criticism.
Israel has become a sacred cow in our national politics. Not only is the nation of Israel held in such high regard as to be above criticism or questioning, but there are also significant consequences for not treating Israel with the proper respect. These consequences include ostracism, job loss, or cancelation of position or restriction of access.
The same seems to be true of even voicing humanitarian concerns about Israel's enemies, in this case the citizens of Gaza.
What's going on? We can criticize American policies, we can criticize democracy, or even capitalism (but be a bit careful there), we can criticize our allies and certainly our enemies. We can criticize ideologies and even religions. We can criticize ethnic groups and immigrants. We can criticize the government and the administration that is in power. We can criticize Congress, the Supreme Court, the court system, the prison system and justice itself. We can criticize the military and the police (but be a bit careful there, too).
Presently, in this nation, almost nothing is sacred. But when it comes to questioning Israeli policy, or Netanyahu, or the military plan in Gaza everything seems to change. One appears to be at great risk to even question the Israeli approach to the civilian population of Gaza, let alone voicing any humanitarian concerns. It appears to be nearly blasphemy to put the entire 75-year conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people into some historical context. Even questioning the Biden administration's economic and military support of the recent destruction of Gaza is risky.
So, what's the problem? At the heart of democracy in this nation are the principles of free speech, the importance of debating issues openly and the right to peaceful protest as a citizen. When these things are discouraged, especially when they apply to our policy regarding a foreign nation and the humanitarian needs of a population, it becomes most troubling, if not downright undemocratic. This does not even take into consideration our traditional stance on human rights and humanitarianism.
The policies of this administration seem counter to so much or our democratic tradition that it needs to be confronted and debated, openly. At question is the heritage of democracy and the inspiration of valuing human lives and ordinary citizenship that our revolution demonstrated to a world previously dominated by top-down leadership. To walk away from that heritage is nearly unthinkable. And to do it by creating a sacred cow of a foreign nation is quite beyond belief.
Time to break down that barrier and have an open, democratic debate about our policies concerning Israel, and especially Israel's handling of the population of Gaza. Can this all be happening without any accountability? Much of the rest of the world's population seems to be saying "No!"
