Image Problems

A British journalist ended an in-depth piece, “Israel is accused of the gravest war crimes - how governments respond could haunt them for years to come,” by detailing a conversation he had with an Israeli officer.

“He started telling me how they did their best not to fire on Palestinian civilians. Then he trailed off, and paused, and told me no-one in Gaza could be innocent because they all supported Hamas.”

The truth can be lodged in an aside, when the officer trails off, pauses, it comes out.

The official version of what Israel is doing in Gaza, much parroted by the Israel state and its allies, is of a humane army doing what it can not to kill civilians. But the truth? No one is Gaza is treated as “innocent.” There are no civilians, no human beings with rights, only military targets. They are all Hamas; all terrorists. Anyone who speaks for Palestinian freedom? They are all Hamas; all terrorists.

We have heard such sentiments expressed so often it can be a struggle to ensure they remain audible.

To say no. Not normalise them.

In that aside is the genocidal intent: you treat human beings who reside there not as people who exist but as threats to existence.

We can only shout. To hear what they say, shout.

NO-ONE IN GAZA COULD BE INNOCENT

THEY HAVE A RIGHT TO KILL AND TO STARVE EVERYONE IN GAZA

THAT IS WHAT THEY ARE DOING

AIDED BY ALLIES

OUR GOVERNMENT

GENOCIDE AS SELF-DEFENCE

Genociders never think of themselves as committing genocide. They can and will and do describe themselves as motivated by a moral purpose, concerned with protecting a nation or a race or a religion or civilisation itself. They keep affirming their right to exist and demand other actors affirm that right as if any and every of their actions is an expression of that right to exist.

By presenting all of their actions (even in advance of being committed) as self-defence, genocide is treated as virtuous.

Yes, one can speak of virtuous genociders. How the genociders live with themselves.

Colonisers too (as Fanon taught), smug with virtue, high on “Western culture,” as if stealing land and people is spreading civilisation, smooth; like butter on bread.

Palestinian poet Mohammed El-Kurd, in his devastatingly brilliant book Perfect Victims, writes of how Palestinians are under perpetual scrutiny. Even in ...