Designated starvation and collective punishment is what characterises specifically the treatment in Gaza, in addition to the conditions of detention: it can cross the threshold into genocide.
It took 60 years to take it to the ICC. I don’t want to die before hostilities cease and I see the case. Palestinians deserve a state, deserve peace, deserve safety, and deserve self-determination. Most importantly, they are entitled to all of these things. Let me repeat. Entitled.
Israeli civilians and foreign nationals currently being detained, injured and killed are damage caused by Netanyahu’s lifelong commitment to eradicate the Palestinian cause and its survivors. His government has, just like Russia before it in the face of the Ukraine invasion, criminalised protest, imprisoned dissent, and ripped out the courts. Consolidating power, he triggers Hamas’ violence and traps his own citizens under their guns.
Hamas does not represent Palestine, but Palestine has no way to obtain representatives. Palestinians can’t go back home, they do not have a right of return. Palestinians can flee, but they’re already the largest refugee population in the world, making up a two digit percentage of the populations of both Lebanon and Jordan. Palestinians were in the largest Syrian refugee camp, Yarmouk, before the Syrian uprising. Yarmouk, since 2015, is the definition of hell on earth. I’ve been there. Hell. Hell you can’t comprehend. Hell I hope you never can.
Mandatory drafts, denial of access to civil rights for the non-Jews, refusal of mixed marriages, and forced religious education makes Israel an oppressive theocracy. I am urging everyone on the Palestinian cause to reach out to Jewish voices for peace and Israeli activists fighting against the occupation of the Palestinian Territories, which, I have to remind everyone, have borders fixed in 1967. Anything else is a crime of aggression. Israelis are scared because they have no say in how their government treats Palestinians; and how they will be made guilty.
Politics are too complex for war, and that has always been the case. The law is not silence in time of war, this idiom no longer exists and in fact, ignores just how old the regulation of conflict is. Politics are silent, because politics is about dialogue, debate, and discourse. War doesn’t just suspend those, it destroys them. You can only argue with the living; and those who made it back have lost the capacity to do so. Trauma, once inflicted on that scale, also defines the political silence of future generations, for whom opposition will be the only way to create identity and community.
There can be no peace without justice, and justice would demand that the current US budget of military assistance to the IDF - $3.9 billion as of 2019 - is suspended. Justice would mean treating Israel the way we would treat any other state that would commit such crimes, for so long. Justice would be granting Palestine statehood. But statehood demands three criteria. One of them is territorial definition.
This conflict proves humanity at its worst. It illustrates how little we invest in the principles we claim to uphold because everything becomes an ideological fervor to end all the previous worships. Israel and Palestine, the most fertile and holy ground of our entire civilization, are now where such lofty ideas of development and morality die in abject circumstances.
We are all responsible for this conflict. And we are all responsible for calling an end to it and demand action. Without Islamophobia, without antisemitism. Because we must. Because the Palestinian cause is everyone’s cause. Its asks are everyone’s asks. Its resistance is everyone’s hope. Its endurance is everyone’s perseverance. And Israel’s fascism should be everyone’s anxiety. Because its self preservation at all costs is our isolation. Because its hunger for control is our submission. Because its manipulative foreign policy becomes our burden of arms trade.
It’s about and for all of us.
It took 60 years to take it to the ICC. I don’t want to die before hostilities cease and I see the case. Palestinians deserve a state, deserve peace, deserve safety, and deserve self-determination. Most importantly, they are entitled to all of these things. Let me repeat. Entitled.
Israeli civilians and foreign nationals currently being detained, injured and killed are damage caused by Netanyahu’s lifelong commitment to eradicate the Palestinian cause and its survivors. His government has, just like Russia before it in the face of the Ukraine invasion, criminalised protest, imprisoned dissent, and ripped out the courts. Consolidating power, he triggers Hamas’ violence and traps his own citizens under their guns.
Hamas does not represent Palestine, but Palestine has no way to obtain representatives. Palestinians can’t go back home, they do not have a right of return. Palestinians can flee, but they’re already the largest refugee population in the world, making up a two digit percentage of the populations of both Lebanon and Jordan. Palestinians were in the largest Syrian refugee camp, Yarmouk, before the Syrian uprising. Yarmouk, since 2015, is the definition of hell on earth. I’ve been there. Hell. Hell you can’t comprehend. Hell I hope you never can.
Mandatory drafts, denial of access to civil rights for the non-Jews, refusal of mixed marriages, and forced religious education makes Israel an oppressive theocracy. I am urging everyone on the Palestinian cause to reach out to Jewish voices for peace and Israeli activists fighting against the occupation of the Palestinian Territories, which, I have to remind everyone, have borders fixed in 1967. Anything else is a crime of aggression. Israelis are scared because they have no say in how their government treats Palestinians; and how they will be made guilty.
Politics are too complex for war, and that has always been the case. The law is not silence in time of war, this idiom no longer exists and in fact, ignores just how old the regulation of conflict is. Politics are silent, because politics is about dialogue, debate, and discourse. War doesn’t just suspend those, it destroys them. You can only argue with the living; and those who made it back have lost the capacity to do so. Trauma, once inflicted on that scale, also defines the political silence of future generations, for whom opposition will be the only way to create identity and community.
There can be no peace without justice, and justice would demand that the current US budget of military assistance to the IDF - $3.9 billion as of 2019 - is suspended. Justice would mean treating Israel the way we would treat any other state that would commit such crimes, for so long. Justice would be granting Palestine statehood. But statehood demands three criteria. One of them is territorial definition.
And Palestine’s borders already exist. They were drawn. They’re drawn on the UN HQ walls, where every year, we have a reminder of how much we fucked up in handling the end of British colonialism of the area mixed with the aftermath of the Holocaust.
- The Nakba compounding existing trauma.
- A genocide to respond to a genocide.
- A crime against humanity to balance a crime against humanity.
- Programmed dehumanisation to face annihilation.
This conflict proves humanity at its worst. It illustrates how little we invest in the principles we claim to uphold because everything becomes an ideological fervor to end all the previous worships. Israel and Palestine, the most fertile and holy ground of our entire civilization, are now where such lofty ideas of development and morality die in abject circumstances.
We are all responsible for this conflict. And we are all responsible for calling an end to it and demand action. Without Islamophobia, without antisemitism. Because we must. Because the Palestinian cause is everyone’s cause. Its asks are everyone’s asks. Its resistance is everyone’s hope. Its endurance is everyone’s perseverance. And Israel’s fascism should be everyone’s anxiety. Because its self preservation at all costs is our isolation. Because its hunger for control is our submission. Because its manipulative foreign policy becomes our burden of arms trade.
It’s about and for all of us.
➽ Sarah Kay is a human rights lawyer.
Israel has no defence for much of what the author writes. But Islamist fascism have no higher morals or concern for human rights. Unquestionably Hamas pulled off a spectacular almost military precision invasion -but they invaded as Islamist terrorists and they behaved every bit as barbaric as ISIS ever did. They targeted women and children and the elderly. I have always condemned Hamas because their previous attacks involved small rockets fired at random and harmlessly breaking up curbstones -the curbstones were never the point -it was Israelis disproportionate response is what they wanted because dead innocent Palestinians are good for raising funding and support. And what if the Gaza Strip were free of the Israelis --they wouldn't be free of another extreme regime like the Taliban. Hamas are pretty evil the way they treat ordinary Palestinians --no better than the Israelis do -so people should check if they are concerned about the Palestinians or they just hate Jews and Israelis and will support Islamist or anyone else who attacks Jews or Israelis.
ReplyDeleteHow theocratic are Hamas? From what I gather their theocratic impulse is heavily constrained by the need to maintain popular support and they are popular in Gaza. The corruption of Arafat's PLO guaranteed them poll position. I have never had any regard for them for the same reasons as yourself. A secular democratic Palestine is infinitely preferable to a theocratic one. If we are to be really serious about opposing war crimes, then those of Hamas need called out too. The attack on that music festival just seems like the Bataclan on a larger scale. Haaretz was reporting however that 3/4 of the casualties in the offensive were military.
DeleteApparently, Netanyahu was told ten days before the attack by Egypt that something catastrophic was brewing in Gaza and he ignored it to focus on a pact with the Saudis.
AM
ReplyDeleteI saw a documentary on Hamas morality police (thugs with canes) and they were savage so I guess they are theocratic. I note Netanyahu and his ministers are very quick to dodge questions about why they didnt know --Egyptian story might be true but so too might they have been more concerned about the Israeli protests against his move toward authoritarian rule and took their eye of the ball. When the dust settles the Israelis should get rid of him --and he hasnt suspended his plans to neuter the judiciary so he is above the law.
Another problem I have with the article above is, people can be anti-jew or anti-Israeli but its an irrational phobia when it comes to Muslims --because we are concerned about GFM, or the throat slicing of men, women or beast or suicide bombers -that irrational. Muslims are more outraged over fucking cartoon images than they are about atrocities like the Bataclan or any other mass killing in the name of Islam. Their very concept of heaven is fucked up -its a brothel flowing in rivers of wine and endless virgins to be raped. And no doubt we will hear of the young Israeli women abducted being converted to Islam by being raped by 9 Muslims.
I think Hamas' game plan may have been to figuratively strap a suicide belt on the Gaza Strip in the hope that all other Muslims will attack Israel.
ReplyDeleteWell all Isreal have to do is cut off the electricity and water, blockade the coast and starve Gaza until they hand over the hostages. I suspect the Israelis will go much further than this though. They'll obliterate large areas, and outright threaten iran with nuclear destruction if it so much as farts in their direction.
DeleteI doubt the US will allow them to nuke Iran. Too volatile. Starving Gaza will lead to even more Israeli isolation. I think one of the Israeli spokespeople made the point that there is a mutual responsibility to deal with hostages. Hamas could as easily kill them, rendering the starvation policy redundant.
DeleteNetanyahu was too busy counting his bribes to maintain a watch on a situation that he seems to have been forewarned of. This is a serious criminal eager to deflect any scrutiny of his position. And the chutzpah of him calling Hamas savages. The old white racism coming out there. he should look at his child killing army of Letbys, Hindleys, Huntleys and Bradys before throwing the term savage about.
The Israelis are smarting at the minute, Hamas has done to them what no Arab state has managed. Yet, other than making a bad situation worse for the civilian population of Gaza, I can't see any long term beneficial effects of the Hamas counter terrorist operation. In general I am with Christy on this one.
Steve
ReplyDeleteI'd be concerned about that because it will be brutally harsh on the people and Hamas will just steal their food and water. It is an impossible situation -I would have hoped the Israelis hold off on attacking and Natanyahu is the worst possible leader the Israelis could have right now -he is not as sociopathic as Trump but he is a self interested hawk. Hamas has always operated on provoking Israeli counter-attacks as their end goal because no matter how bad Hamas are the Israelis go even further. But this time is different because it exposes all of those in the west who support Islamism --I find it surprising that, on principle of decency and humanity, the IRA would never do things Hamas do yet radical Islam has is ardent supporters within the Republican community -I think possibly mostly within dissidents. Some had no problem with ISIS war crimes and crimes against humanity.
"....never do things Hamas do yet radical Islam has is ardent supporters within the Republican community"
ReplyDeleteReally? Never would have thought that. Why is that?
I'm not disagreeing with either of you but it's an old play book. The Gazians will collectively suffer even more now, as a wounded Israel is going to make a very harsh example out of them. Collective punishment is a war crime so were is the ICC? Nobody is going to stick their neck out for Gaza after seeing what Hamas did to civilians including shooting babies, decapitation and desecration of corpses, rape and kidnapping of children, murdering siblings in front of each other. Israel may be bastards but not on the same level when it comes to barbaric savagery. Very ISIS indeed.
Hamas has brought this disaster on Gaza just as a Hitler brought mass bombardment to German cities ( war crimes then imo but who cared then sorry) and Netanayu has helped bring another incipient Holocaust to Jews. It's Jews I stand in solidarity with as well as the Palestinian hostages of Hamas. Greetings from Saigon Inthe land of Uncle Ho. Of to Phnom Penh tomorrow for a date with another monster of recent history - the Khmer Rouge
ReplyDeleteSteve I think for the same reason there are Unionists/Loyalists ardent fans of Nazism and National Front. Though on the Nationalists side I think it was borne out of the mantra of the enemy of my enemy is my friend or solidarity with other oppressed people -Unionists/Loyalists were just driven by hatred and sense they are a superior race in NI. I think dissidents haven't copped on yet that the enemy of my enemy can be a greater evil. Though it's not confined to here -over in the UK the left antisemitism brigade has been out cheering the Hamas attacks.
ReplyDeleteWell I certainly don't think I'm a superior anything and the whole NF/Nazi thing is way overblown among Loyalists, and not tolerated especially with those who study our past. But what you say makes sense. ( The NF shite was daft dog over in working class areas of england, or playing in a skinhead band, and not much more)
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