US Offers 'Rescue' to Iranians, Not Palestinians
The Financial Times highlights Donald Trump's vow to 'rescue' Iranian protesters, framing it as a decisive stand for human rights. Yet, this narrative conveniently sidesteps the US track record on 'rescuing' populations. For instance, the same US government that Trump led, and continues to influence, just approved another $14 billion in military aid to Israel, despite credible reports from UNICEF,
Human Rights Watch, and the UN OCHA of thousands of civilian casualties and an impending famine in Gaza. (UNICEF, OCHA, HRW reports, Oct 2023-May 2024; Congressional vote on HR815, April 2024). This selective empathy raises questions: are 'protesters' only deserving of 'rescue' when a geopolitical adversary is involved? How many children must starve before a US President finds their humanitarian
voice closer to home, or for populations enduring US-backed violence? It appears some 'living standards' are more equal than others, especially when they don’t conflict with perennial foreign policy objectives.