Brian Garrison lives in South Portland.

Images from Gaza are not distant. They are immediate and relentless — families pulled from rubble, children carried through dust and smoke, entire neighborhoods reduced to ruin.

As a Mainer, I have always believed our values — fairness, restraint and the protection of the vulnerable — do not end at our borders. But recently, our political response has made it harder — not easier — to live up to them.

Maine’s leaders should not fear honest debate about Gaza. At a moment of profound human suffering, we owe ourselves — and those affected — the willingness to confront both the reality on the ground and the role the United States is playing in it.

When activists and residents in Portland pressed for economic pressure related to Israel, members of the Portland City Council considered those proposals. Gov. Janet Mills pushed back, warning that such efforts risk “crossing a line into antisemitism.” Her concern for the safety and dignity of Jewish communities is both valid and necessary. Antisemitism is real and must be confronted wherever it appears.

But when criticism of a government’s actions is treated as inherently suspect, the space for legitimate debate begins to close. Disagreement is not the same as hostility. Holding a government accountable for documented civilian harm and potential violations of international humanitarian law is not the same as condemning a people or a faith. Criticism of the state of Israel is not, in itself, criticism of Judaism or Jewish people.

At the federal level, Sen. Susan Collins has been equally clear, repeatedly affirming that “Israel has the right to defend itself” while supporting continued U.S. assistance. That clarity has been a defining feature of her position. But clarity must also leave room for accountability.

According to publicly available Federal Election Commission data, Sen. Collins has received millions of dollars over time from donors and political action committees aligned with pro-Israel advocacy. These contributions do not prove wrongdoing, nor do they dictate any individual vote. But they raise a reasonable question: when political support consistently flows in one direction, how easy is it for any elected official to take positions that challenge it?

Not all voices in Maine are approaching this issue the same way. Figures like Graham Platner have spoken more directly about the human toll in Gaza, calling for clearer accountability and a reassessment of U.S. policy. Recent polling suggests that message is resonating with some voters uneasy with the status quo. Whether that support is driven by Gaza alone or a broader desire for change, it reflects a growing willingness among some Mainers to ask harder questions.

That tension is also playing out nationally. Some Democratic leaders have pushed back against what they describe as “litmus tests” on Israel, arguing the party must remain a broad coalition where no single position is required.

That instinct is understandable. A healthy democracy should make room for disagreement.

But there is also a difference between a litmus test and a moral line. When civilian suffering becomes prolonged and visible, people will ask where that line should be drawn. That is not ideological purity. It is human concern.

Because the stakes are not abstract.

Since the war in Gaza began, the United States has committed tens of billions of dollars in military aid tied to Israel and the surrounding conflict, according to congressional appropriations and independent research groups. That support carries consequences — not only in what it enables abroad, but in what it asks of us at home.

And now, as tensions expand into direct conflict with Iran, those consequences deepen. We are not simply supporting an ally — we are binding ourselves to the trajectory of a widening conflict.

There is also a quieter cost. Each time we look away or avoid hard questions, something erodes. The distance between what we claim to believe and what we are willing to tolerate begins to grow.

Maine cannot determine the course of this conflict. But we are not powerless either.

We can insist that our leaders speak honestly about both the human cost of this war and the role the United States is playing in it. We can reject antisemitism without dismissing legitimate criticism. And we can support Israel’s security while also insisting that civilian lives — Israeli and Palestinian alike — carry equal worth.

What we cannot do is pretend there is no cost. Because there is. And it is one Maine should not be afraid to question.