Nesrine Malik has a powerful article in the Guardian this morning in which she discusses the normalisation of the genocide in Gaza, as represented by the multiple standing ovations in the US Congress for Israeli Benjamin Netanyahu last week.
As she notes:
[This normalisation] looks like accepting that there are certain groups of people who can be killed. That it is, in fact, reasonable and necessary that they should die in order to maintain a political system that is built on the inequality of human life. This is what the philosopher Achille Mbembe calls “necropolitics” – the exercising of power to dictate how some people live and how others must die.
Necropolitics creates “deathworlds” where there are “new and unique forms of social existence in which vast populations are subjected to living conditions that confer upon them the status of the living dead”. In those deathworlds the killing of others, and the destruction of their habitat through epic military capabilities whose impact is never experienced by the citizens of the countriesresponsible, confer even more value on the humanity of those in the “civilised” west. They are exempt because they are good, not because they are strong. Palestinians die because they are bad, not because they are weak.
And as she concludes:
The result is a world that feels as if it's in the jarring middle of that transition. Where political events move forward with speed, folding Gaza into the normal. ...
What world emerges after this? The war on Gaza is simply too big, too live, too relentless for its forced normalisation to occur without unintended consequences. The end result is all of humanity degraded; the end result is a world in which when the call comes to aid people in need, no one will be capable of heeding it.
Why refer to this, apart from highlighting the obvious quality of Nesrine Malik's thinking, writing and humanity?
I had four reactions. First, that I am not mad to not accept this situation. None of us should.
Second, my revulsion at Netanyahu's reception is justified.
Third, that this is how fascists work. They want us to accept that the elimination of the ‘other' is normal when in reality it is not just abhorrent; it is also a crime.
And fourth, we need to shout about this. So I am.
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“Dead-in-the-Water Starmer will soon be appointing a task force or commission to consider whether it really is genocide!
From today’s Guardian
> The foreign secretary, David Lammy, has said officials are, on his instructions, carrying out a “comprehensive review of Israel’s compliance with international humanitarian law”
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jul/29/uk-israel-palestinian-territories-icj-advisory-opinion-philippe-sands-kc
I hope they state the obvious conclusion
I would have thought that the ICJ had already provided Lammy with his answer.
Perhaps also worth reading is an article in Aljazeera, Gaza is the fate of humanity. https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2024/7/28/gaza-is-the-fate-of-humanity
Thank you and well said, Richard.
I am surprised by how long this story has taken to get an airing. I mentioned it last week in a reply.
UK, EU and NATO officials attended the speech, endorsing Netanyahu’s sentiments.
The rest of the world is aghast at western duplicity and getting on with measures to promote multipolarity, developments the MSM don’t want westerners to hear about. Increasingly, the west means dispossession, death and destruction. What did Gandhi say about western civilisation?
While the rest of the world rightly backs Palestine, there seems some acknowledgement of pro-Palestinian views.
China Daily in May applauded France
https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202405/14/WS6642bd80a31082fc043c6f34.html
and In Feb the Wire was complaining that Gaza was being ignored by the Indian press.
Al Jazeera is a channel I watch a few times a week. I find some of the discussions are very informative.
As human beings, we cannot afford to watch the Levant passively.
This is an essential post. We need to be reminded of this global disaster very frequently.
I recently encountered a discussion of life under Nazism post 1933 which described that system as ‘pitiless’ – and that inhumanity permeated every aspect of life, reducing existence to survival mode.
Pitiless seems to be a single word that simultaneously describes both the perpetrator and their actions in fascism.
If ‘any man’s death diminishes me’, then the Gazan war dehumanises all of us, victims, executors and observers.
Being human really does make demands on all of us.
I do not want to be forced into a state of necropolitics, which seems to be but another manifestation of colonialism, but feel powerless to intervene.
Zionism is proving to be as evil a death cult as any other pitiless order, and its psychopathic drivers are emboldened by the passive assent they have received.
At the present time we only have the UN and all its agencies, and the international charity sector behaving with humanity.
All others, including the UK, but especially the Americans, seem to be validating the pitiless cruelty that is every day Israeli policy and practice.
Such is ‘Pax Americana’.
Not all Americans. Only those who move in the ruling class circles will still be passive in the face of such blatant inhumane slaughter by Netanyahu and his fellow fanatics. For many decades now the Israeli flag has been flown in tandem with the Stars and Stripes in US wealthy children’s Summer Camps. Such patriotic indoctrination is difficult to dislodge overnight.
Netanyahu has had a tame uncritical audience for years. The Republican Senators and Congress people were keen to be seen by their constituents applauding him but a number stayed away and there were protests outside. Described as ‘anti-Semitic’ but i don’t think many accept this any more.
Polls tell us young people in the US and elsewhere are less likely to buy the ‘stand by Israel’ line. The religious justification for that is without foundation and has less traction with the young.
In Feb we heard that hundreds of EU, UK and US officials signed a letter saying their countries were in grave danger of complicity in war crimes. This, as far as I know, is unprecedented in modern times. I think we assume there are many more who won’t speak out. We have not been allowed to see the letter.
People who have no knowledge of the history are seeing-nightly- further death and destruction. The politicians and media don’t reflect the view of many people. I won’t exaggerate the importance of Labour refusing to object to the ICC indictment of Netanyahu but it is a step.
The ice sheets of public opinion are beginning to break. Sometimes it takes an age but at others, it can happen quickly. It needs courageous people to lead. Often they appear as if from nowhere.
this was in May https://www.map.org.uk/news/archive/post/1585-new-poll-shows-sustained-british-public-support-for-immediate-ceasefire-in-gaza-and-the-suspension-of-uk-arms-sales-to-israel
I had better tread carefully here………………
Before Gaza, there was Yemen which was bad enough and criminally under reported and made me feel sick as it was.
We know why this kicked off in Gaza but ‘an eye for an eye’ in this conflict is not at all what this is about anymore. Israel’s response has gone far beyond that, and stinks of opportunism as well.
Why?
Consider this very well written, reasonable reflection from the Jewish Left here – a voice that is too often crowded out and one which our anger must not make us deaf or blind to either (the Israel we see is not just Netanyahu’s version):
https://jacobin.com/2020/07/israel-palestine-anti-zionism-history-left
I understand that some sections of the Jewish left may have also supported Zionism but not in Palestine and not in the way it has actually worked in the modern age.
I think Balthaser’s writing above is full of the self awareness as you would expect from someone who see’s themselves as one of God’s children sharing the world with others that God had made as God had intended. Until the Christian’s messed it up of course.
Steve Bannon’s great ‘Judeo-Christian partnership’ – my arse – what of the crusade engorged ‘Christians’ burning Jews in Clifford’s Tower, and Catholics mowing down Jewish innocents at Babi Yar and too many other places with ‘Gott Mit Uns’ (God with Us) imprinted on their belts. The hypocrisy! Talk about re-writing history.
Whilst away from this blog, I reflected more deeply about Zionism, and with the help of Abbey Innes I can only conclude that Zionism is an expression of Jewish materialism in its religion.
The obsession with land – or shall we say ‘real estate’ – is the really dark secret within Zionism, because at its heart real-estate is a great source and driver of wealth and economic power. This is not living space – it’s economic space Israel is after at any cost and any excuse. It is as far away from spirituality as could imagine.
The other thing I think Zionism is, is that it is anti-Semitic in itself.
Why? Because Zionism plays on the West’s own Christian based anti-Jewish tradition and gives its Western supporters what it wants – Jews not living next door to them. Perfect! Jews anywhere but here in the West? I think Zionism cynically exploits this, I really do.
And why might that be?
Well, there is another honourable tradition in Jewish history and that is their prominent involvement in the development of the Left. Maybe this is why Jews have paid such a heavy price more recently in their history and why they are ‘feared’ by the Right in the West?
Convincing? Who knows? But the relationships between the principals is so complex it cannot just be that Israel gives the U.S. a toe hold in a region where there is a lot of coveted oil.
Very well put PSR. As you suggest, some of the best writing on the subject comes from the Jewish Left, such as +972, Jewish Currents, B’tselem. People who see the dark side of Zionism and recognise the kind of state that Israel has become. Arguably from the start.
Israel has always cultivated some dark friends – such as apartheid South Africa and Argentina under the Junta. Now it includes autocrats across the world from Modi’s India, to Trump’s supporters, to Milei’s Argentina. Too often with shared Islamophobic instincts.
David Hare wrote a play back in 1997 based on his experiences of visiting Palestine and Israel, which he performed himself. If you are going to the Edinburgh Festival, there is a performance of it there. Declaration of interest – its performed by a near neighbour, Ive seen him in it and it’s brilliant.
Hi Robin
We are going to the Edinburgh Fringe and would like to see the play. Can you tell me what it is called? Thanks
Its Via Dolorosa, originally performed by David Hare himself, He gave his support to this performance. At the Surgeons Hall I think
Because the slaughter of innocents in Gaza is a more or less daily event it is by definition no longer ‘news’, and makes one episode of killing children in Israeli-occupied Syria achieves immediate headline treatment , even though it is blamed on Hezbollah – with apparently no evidence.
It seems it’s not only necropolitics, but also necromedia – almost light hearted ‘before we go’ @BBC tone : ‘another 30 killed in Gaza schoolyard ‘.
Isn’t this what colionialism is? 10m Congolese killed, 35 million Indians over the period of Indian colonisation, 2 million Irish who were deemed an undesirable race by the English. Not to mention the aboriginies, the native North Americans, the mauris, the native South Americans in Peru and other parts. I haven’t dwelled on Africa in any detail.
That’s all normal to the west.
Palestinians are suffering colionialism as suffered by a huge part of the world by a group of white people who see themselves as above most of the rest of humanity not to mention above any morality.
I don’t understand the shock. Could it be that the West believes its own lies about itself? And therefore the shock?
For myself it’s obvious. This is the over riding history of the west and it’s bound to be repeated.
It’s never been confronted and has been replaced with magnanimous air brushing.
The shock is that it still goes on
Is that wrong?
It still goes on Richard. Colionialism is now economic. There is a net transfer of wealth from the global south to the north. Economic “bullying” by the world bank and the IMF ensures that. Trade treaties are extremely nasty in favour of the rich.
Slavery continues in the mining sector in Africa on a huge scale.
Environmental destruction across the globe to secure northern wealth accumulation goes unabated and leaves vast numbers of people without livelihoods. Huge numbers die or succumb to extreme poverty and die slowly. It’s just unreported.
Mother nature is the last frontier of colonial and capitalist extraction. The final throw of the exploitation dice has been thrown.
And yes Palestinians are suffering greatly and it’s truly heartbreaking. But their land is being extracted from them. Extracting land from its people is horrific but it’s not new. Ask the aboriginies or the native Americans. We can’t ask Incas they were wiped out. South America was decimated.
Nothing the western powers do should shock anyone if they can see the context of the actions of the west around the globe now and in their recent history.
I differ
The extraction is real around the world
But let’s not pretend that the violence of the genocide in Gaza is normal
Please keep a balance in what you say
Colonialism is what I would define as appropriation of another country’s wealth by a foreign Bourgeoise.
Today’s domestic capitalism at home operates just like colonialism; it is simply extractive and exploitive by the same narrow group of offenders as above.
My view is that there is a lot of geo-political manoeuvring going on at the moment by wealth in some sort of global asset grab which is utilising the power of whole states through political patronage to obtain their objectives.
I don’t pretend that this is a new thing, but the scale we see it at now is bigger than before because quite frankly money power has grown exponentially as it has swallowed up more and more worldwide output and claimed it for itself through criminal practices masquerading as capitalism – such as stock markets, mergers and take overs, ‘finance’ etc.
Bu that does not mean Sanjay that we have sit here and watch all of this politely and quietly. It is still worth getting out there whilst we can to let people know that we know what they are up to, and let them feel our outrage, no matter how many times we are outraged.
@Robin Stafford
I agree with everything you say but I disagree that we are sitting politely and quietly. This blog is not sitting politely and quietly. It’s author certainly isn’t.
People like me are active in our small ways. The Tories are putting some of us behind bars. Labour will continue this.
Colionialism is more than extraction. Settler colonialism is what the Palestinians are suffering. What the native Americans, aboriginies and mauris suffered before them. Just as horrific.
On your scale comment I am not entirely sure. The colonialism of the global South was vast. I haven’t seen any studies to compare past extraction with present extraction.
But if extraction of the biosphere to the detriment of all living life on earth is the ultimate form of extraction, which arguably it is, then you are right.
Also it makes no odds whether they (Russia) did it or we did it. Colonialism extraction is the same whichever western power enacts it.
Though I do sense a deep bias regarding the comments on Ukraine. I would urge the commenter to read Prof Mearsheimer. The geopolitical dynamics of that conflict are shrouded in familiar western lies. That is not to excuse Russia in any way.
Not to disagree with your observations on Western colonialism. However those countries gained independence decades ago and at least the consequences are the subject of open debate.
Meanwhile those same critics of Western colonialism ignore the elephant in the room – the colonial and imperialist construct that is Russia. A country that has invaded and colonised all of its neighbours, to the West, South and East, with the utmost brutality and which continues today, unapologetically. Putin and his government boast about the Russian empire. Many millions have been killed in the name of Russian imperialism. Somehow the lives of Poles, Ukrainians, Georgians, Siberians and others do not seem to matter. It is only ‘Western’ colonialism that is bad.
Those countries and groups who still criticise Western colonialism whilst being silent about Russian colonialism or even supporting Russia’s continuing imperialist activities are just posturing. Too often they share Russia and Putin’s autocratic instincts. That stretch back centuries.
Check out SOAS, probably the leading centre of colonial studies in the UK. (Having a post grad in the subject Ive read plenty of their material). You will find plenty of mentions of the Holocaust (and quite right too). On the Holodomor, nothing. Not a mention. But hey, what do they care about the lives of 3-6 million Ukrainians. If they were killed by Russians it is somehow OK.
The perversity – or is it Hobbesian absurdity? – is Robin, that Putin only does what the West does but with more brutality?
Whether you are destroying a country with sanctions or financial weapons of mass destruction, aid or military weapons – ultimately, what is the difference?
The end result is the same.
Colonialism abounds, subtle and unsubtle.
And what is colonialism put more simply?
Greed.
Really good conversation on this one.
I don’t think I am saying genocide is happening everyday and is normal. I am effectively taking the Chomsky view that genocide is part and parcel of modern western history and it’s appearance at various intervals in time shouldnt shock if the reader is aware of western history.
That’s all.
Great read of all the comments to a great starting post.
I don’t take Chomsky as gospel. Interesting, but sometimes very flawed.
Sanjay
The worst thing the oppressed can do is make out that a certain group suffers more than others. That they are the exception.
This is a green light for fascism and a red light for solidarity.
Exploitation – through colonialism at home or abroad – has grown exponentially world-wide. People in Gaza are dying for sure.
An NHS in Britain – defunded on purpose to increase the coffers of the private sector, itself invested in by foreigners after profits, has led to more Covid deaths than were necessary, and more deaths since as the system has broke down (one or two of those deaths being close to home for myself – people who were simply not looked after).
The capitalism of the North Sanjay does indeed exploit the South but the North is also busy eating its own. Capitalism is breaking down and taking us all with it. No one will be spared in the pursuit of Neo-liberal ‘freedom’.
All of us, Sanjay.
Do you understand?
I also felt there was a strong sense of resignation in your original comment which is why I suggested not to be quiet about it. What else can we do? But it looks as though I misread that, so fair enough.
@Pilgrim Slight
Yes I do get that capitalism (and in my view colonialism) is turning in on itself onto the North. We are witnessing it in the UK in the context of the Neoliberal UK petri dish that Richard has blogged about frequently.
I think Marx wrote about capitalism turning in on itself but I haven’t read any of his work.
I see colionialism as an offshoot of capitalism mixed with Eugenics and not solely in the context of the global South North. I emphasised it because of the Palestine post that Richard put up. But it’s not the only lens to view it through.
It’s an important point you raise which is necessary to understand what is happening globally at the present time. Though the historical context is in my view very important to contextualise the horrors we are witnessing and particularly the media air brushing of them.
I am not a Marxist, by any measure, but Marx is important
Thank you Sanjay.
We need to unite in our suffering and stay united – that is the key in my view.
“the multiple standing ovations in the US Congress for Israeli Benjamin Netanyahu”
this from todays G’ – I almost vomited my breakfast:
“What type of injuries and illnesses are you seeing?
All types of trauma injuries. About 60% are children and women. ……….We managed to evacuate a patient from Gaza City, a woman in her mid-20s. She was pregnant. She had an explosive injury from an airstrike on her home. She lost her husband, her kids, her leg was amputated, and she lost her baby as well.”
Sickening
And they applauded that
I have to say I profoundly disagree with Richard about Chomsky. I have read most of his books .His wisdom is incredible. Reading his discourse about the USA and its profound evil reveals how the world is subject to American rule ,particularly the UK
Disagreement is allowed.
He is obviously an important intellectual. But saying so one does not have to agree with all his opinions. I ma sure he is changed his mind, after all, over time, as I most certainly do. Critically accepting any opinion is importantly, and that involves the right to disagree.
PSR – many thanks for the Jacobin link which makes clear the crucial importance of historical references that provide alternative legitimating narratives that counter the current implicit consensus and make clear that the present we have now was never inevitable. There are always other ‘presents’ that could have grown out of the past and can provide strategies for other futures. Thank you.
Why thank you Hannah V.
This Gaza business is ghastly and the whole topic takes one down some very dark places – I though the article on Jacobin brought some much needed light, reason and balance.
Knowledge mollifies impotent rage I find.