Liberal Democrats believe in universal human rights. The response to evidence of sexual violence on 7th October should be straightforward. Yet too often, when the victims are Israelis, the instinct to “believe survivors” suddenly becomes contested.

If rape is used as a weapon of war, liberals should have no difficulty condemning it. That should be true whether the victims are in Bosnia, Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of Congo – or Israel. And yet, in the aftermath of the 7th October attacks, a disturbing double standard has appeared in parts of Western political debate. Evidence that women were sexually assaulted during the massacre has not been met everywhere with solidarity or outrage, but with hesitation, scepticism and, in some cases, outright denial. For those of us who believe in universal human rights, that should be deeply troubling. If recognition of sexual violence depends on the politics of the conflict, the principle itself is hollow.

The attacks carried out by Hamas that day were among the worst terrorist atrocities in modern history. Around 1,200 people were murdered, and hundreds more taken hostage. Alongside the killings, evidence quickly emerged that sexual violence – including rape – had taken place during the assault. Investigators, journalists, first responders and eventually international bodies reported signs that women had been sexually assaulted during the attacks and while in captivity. And this week, the 7th October Parliamentary Commission publishes its second report into the atrocities committed that day. Its work matters because documentation and evidence are the foundation of accountability. Without them, atrocities risk being lost in political argument and misinformation.

For decades, progressives rightly pushed for a cultural shift in how societies respond to allegations of sexual violence. Survivors were too often dismissed, interrogated or disbelieved. Feminist activism taught that survivors should not be met first with scepticism, but with seriousness and compassion. Yet when Israeli women are among the victims, the standards of belief suddenly appear to change. Some who would normally insist on listening now demand levels of proof rarely available after mass atrocities. Where are the police reports, they ask. Where is the forensic evidence? Where are the witnesses willing to testify publicly? Anyone familiar with conflict-related sexual violence knows why those questions are so difficult to answer. Many victims were murdered. Crime scenes were not preserved because emergency workers were focused on saving lives and recovering bodies. Families understandably wish to protect dignity and privacy. These challenges are tragically common in wartime atrocities and precisely why international law has evolved to investigate and prosecute sexual violence in conflict through tribunals and the International Criminal Court. To treat them as evidence that crimes did not occur risks undermining that entire system.

Our Party is committed to liberal internationalism, so the response should be simple. Sexual violence in conflict is a grave violation of humanitarian law. It must be investigated wherever it occurs and whoever commits it. If we demand accountability in some conflicts but dismiss allegations in others because they complicate politics, we erode the credibility of the entire human rights system. The rule of law cannot function on selective outrage. Nor can feminist foreign policy succeed if empathy depends on the identity of the victim. Recognising sexual violence as a weapon of war and supporting survivors wherever it appears is not optional. Anything less is partisanship, not feminism.

It is also worth addressing those who will reflexively point to Palestinian suffering. The humanitarian toll of the war in Gaza is real and deeply distressing, and we should never turn away from civilian suffering wherever it occurs. But recognising atrocities committed on 7th October, including sexual violence, does not diminish that suffering, nor should it become a competition. Human rights abuses are not a zero-sum game. Each deserves to be documented, acknowledged and confronted on its own terms – sadly many are selective when casting a finger of blame and acknowledgment of wrongdoing.

None of this requires abandoning compassion for Palestinian or indeed any other civilians or ignoring any humanitarian crisis. Human rights are not a zero-sum calculation. But because liberalism insists on universal principles, we must resist treating some victims as politically inconvenient. The victims of 7th October deserve the same dignity and seriousness we would offer survivors anywhere else.

For Liberal Democrat parliamentarians, this is not an abstract question but a test of political integrity. A party that has long prided itself on championing human rights, international law and gender equality cannot afford silence or equivocation when those principles are challenged. Lib Dem MPs and peers should speak out clearly to acknowledge the evidence of sexual violence on 7th October, support the work of independent investigations, and press the UK government to ensure accountability through international mechanisms. They should do so not in spite of their commitment to protecting Palestinian civilians, but because of it: consistency is what gives human rights advocacy its moral force.

Failing to act risks reinforcing the very double standards liberals have spent decades trying to dismantle. Speaking out, by contrast, affirms a simple but essential truth — that the rights and dignity of victims do not depend on nationality, and that sexual violence in conflict must always be confronted, never relativised or ignored.

Rape is rape. For people who believe in universal rights, it should never depend on politics.

* Gavin Stollar OBE is the Honorary Chair of Liberal Democrat Friends of Israel. He is a former Parish and District Councillor, Parliamentary Candidate and parliamentary aide to Rt. Hon Charles Kennedy during his first two years as Party Leader.