One Year and Counting
Today marks the grim one-year anniversary of the ongoing genocide in Gaza. If the Israelis had not embarked upon one of the most depraved campaigns of mass slaughter, perhaps we’d be commemorating the deaths of Israeli civilians. Although, it’s worth pointing out that precisely none of those people ever would have died but for the decades-long miserable and savage military occupation. From this day forward, this genocide will count one year before the months. I’m currently working on a lengthy article about empire. In my draft, I’ve written a very pithy critique of Israel. It will probably make it into the final piece—though I can’t be completely certain. Since it’s far shorter than my other articles on Israel- Palestine, “The Killing Fields of Palestine” and “Blood and Soil,” and will also largely get buried by the more central point of my upcoming work, I figured I’d post it as an excerpt for the October 7 anniversary, with some added detail. Perhaps the most common sentiment expressed about the Israel-Palestine conflict is that it’s a “complicated” affair. Balancing Israeli national security versus Palestinian freedom, reconciling decades-old religious grievances, and scrutinizing conflicting versions of history, are all commonly stated burdens and reasons for the enduring difficulty in talking about this conundrum, or finding a resolution to it. I feel duty-bound to point out the fallacies in these arguments. Pro-Palestinian activists regularly find themselves explaining why the continuing occupation does not make Jews safer, that Palestinian grievances are not caused by religion but by the occupation, that Israel consistently undermines peace negotiations, and so forth. Admittedly, all of this is indeed complicated. Let me offer an alternative—a more straightforward approach. What is the argument for the occupation? There are some people amongst this ethnic group—Palestinians—who might want to hurt us (let’s not ask why). Therefore, let’s deprive the entire group of fundamental rights, such as freedom of movement, the right to vote, the right to a fair trial, the right to cultivate their land, the right to walk in our neighborhoods or on our roads, let’s deny them access to clean water, educational opportunities, decent employment, et cetera. This reasoning happens to be identical to Roosevelt’s decision to sign Executive Order 9066 and imprison roughly 120,000 Japanese-Americans in concentration camps. After Pearl Harbor, when the US went to war with Japan, the US government forced the displacement of all citizens with Japanese ancestry into military-run prison camps. What was the argument then? There are some people amongst this ethnic group—the Japanese—who might want to hurt us (maybe because they still have sympathy for their country or they might have family there). Therefore, let’s deprive the entire group of fundamental rights, such as freedom of movement, the right to a fair trial, the right to own a home, and the right to walk freely in our neighborhoods, and let’s put them in a cramped prison camp without plumbing, without a kitchen, without privacy, et cetera. These days, virtually nobody, except for a few extraordinarily racist scumbags, defends the US concentration camps. People know it’s wrong. They just can’t see it while it’s happening. They just can’t see it when it comes to Palestine. It is surreal and grotesque that pro-Palestinian activists have to make the argument  why Palestinians deserve the right to vote, deserve freedom of movement, deserve  to live, and deserve not to suffer under occupation. People know it’s wrong. They just can’t see it while it’s happening. It’s been happening. For 76 years and counting. It’s currently happening. One year since this recent murder spree began. The excuse of “national security,” and it’s a dishonest excuse at that, doesn’t justify this. The occupation is a moral crime in itself and has no justification. Even if continued occupation really did make things safer as opposed to accepting a peace agreement—which is a ridiculous notion—it’s still unacceptable. Security risks must be endured by free states that respect human rights. Nothing, no security concern, no ahistorical revisionism, nothing can justify the occupation. And nothing can justify genocide. Palestinians have a right to be free. Palestinians have a right to live. Palestinians have a right to resist. One year and counting. From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.
October 7 2024