The lengths to which Western political and media elites go to propagate denialism of the Gaza genocide is downright deplorable. All the more so because the law itself is abundantly clear (IHL as the bar for stopping arms exports, diplomatic cover and the likes, obligations under the Genocide Convention kicking in upon the issuance of provisional measures etc.).
I think part of this has to do with the visceral reluctance of sizeable segments of White society to honestly come to terms with their colonial past. Over the past 80 years, the West has been peddling the lie that they've put their racist past behind them. That they've learnt from it, they feel remorse and regret for it, and that they've relinquished it. Various institutions (domestic and international) were setup to create the veneer that the preservation and advancement of inalienable rights are central to how the West thinks and operates. That 'values' became core to their policies. Yet, little (if anything) was actually done to make amends for reigning death and destruction, plunder and pillage throughout much of the world for the better part of 500 years. To this day, they can't even bring themselves to teach the history properly in schools.
However, as trained historians started to shed light to the record, exposing colonialism and settler colonialism for what it is, we started to witness the 'backlash' from White 'snowflakes' who found the truth an incredibly bitter pill to swallow. No surprise then that they've had to come up with fake definitions of things like Critical Race Theory to throw their tantrums, because facts don't care about feelings. Being the empty chameleons that they are, political and media elites from the 'right' latched onto this fallout to further capitalize on it.
Yet, until October 8, 2023, there was a sense of being somewhat removed from the Trail of Tears, or the Britain's savage response to the First Indian Revolt of 1857, or the Nakba. We'd listen/read the testimonies of survivors, pore through detailed accounts meticulously compiled by historians and the likes. But such episodes of mass colonial violence by and large felt like a thing of the past (even in Palestine, what continued unabated from 1967 to October 2023 was what the Israelis historian Ilan Pappe called 'incremental' genocide and ethnic cleansing). And on the whole, it felt like the 'left' and 'liberal' segments of the political and media class were slowly but surely confronting the legacy of colonialism (albeit in a piecemeal way, but still it seemed like a baby step or two in the right direction).
The past 14 months has been a jolt to the system of these 'liberals' like nothing else. We've been witnessing the sheer barbarity and hypocrisy that is inherent to colonial violence play out in front of our eyes every single day. At one level, Kier Starmer, Justin Trudeau, the Democrats (and their blind cultish followers) have drank so much of their own self-righteous kool-aid that cognitive dissonance alone prevents them recognizing a genocide staring them right in the face. But we also have to consider a more cynical proposition. The West has never truly, genuinely, sincerely confronted or contended with its colonial past - to honestly address it for what it was. Instead, the 'monster of white supremacy' was largely swept under the carpet with a sustained campaign of mass gaslighting premised on the West's 'virtue' (you won't find any other society other than the world that relentlessly harps about its 'values' in such absolutist terms - empty vessels make the most noise as they say). Gaza has ripped this mask off altogether to expose Western 'liberal' political and media elites for the self-righteous filthy hypocrites they always were. Starmer knows it. Trudeau knows it. Albanese knows it (not Francesca of course). And they're desperately playing every last card to try and piece together the world as it was on October 6th. Thing is, people can't 'unsee' what they've already seen. And what they're seeing is the latest episode of this five century long story called European settler colonial genocide, which as Columbia historian Joseph Massad puts it, is really what 'Western values' are mostly about.
Maybe we should call it a Holocaust or perhaps slaughter. Would it make any difference? Holocaust would be preferable for me. "Never again" would no longer apply to just one group.
It reminds me of the Mafia providing "insurance". "If you pay us we won't break your window." Just reinterpret the word insurance or genocide.
Genocide doesn't have to mean extermination of all living members of a group of people ( If that's even possible). What is Starmer's"number"That needs to be reached to qualify as a genocide. Or is it a percentage?
Genocide is actually more of a cultural destruction of a people. The Aim is to destroy a society's culture and history And integrate Into the conquerors society. What is being destroyed is the lifestyle, economic system, religion and financial system ( If there is one). Mass killings, starvation, torture etc, are the first step In achieving these goals as can be seen in Gaza.
Starmer Never answered the question about genocide. There is no rule of law international or domestic .
The failure of the leadership ,courts, political systems of the countries supplying arms and assisting in defense of Israel Are all complicit In genocide a Palestinians.
As the Palestinian ambassador said after the 14-1 permanent cease fire resolution, which the U.K. supported perhaps knowing of the shameful inevitable U.S. veto by Robert Wood, “We are not born to be occupied and displaced and killed. That’s not our destiny that’s not our fate,” however much Starmer and Lammy in their Wilsonian neoliberal white hoods may wish to rekindle imperial ambitions by recreating a modern version of the Black Hole of Calcutta
They totally voted because they knew that the US would veto. Starmer is Israel's stooge.
It's like Germany pretending it doesn't want to poke Russia the bear, and that's why it isn't supplying missiles are whatever. Please, the reason you're not is because you're not a nuclear power, don't fall into Putin's nuclear doctrine and so your rockets ending up in Russia are irrelevant
Thanks for this enlightening read as I didn't know of that clause in the Law until now... That means both Lammy and Starmer should be looking forward to a date in the Hague as soon as this genocide is stopped one way or another
The lengths to which Western political and media elites go to propagate denialism of the Gaza genocide is downright deplorable. All the more so because the law itself is abundantly clear (IHL as the bar for stopping arms exports, diplomatic cover and the likes, obligations under the Genocide Convention kicking in upon the issuance of provisional measures etc.).
I think part of this has to do with the visceral reluctance of sizeable segments of White society to honestly come to terms with their colonial past. Over the past 80 years, the West has been peddling the lie that they've put their racist past behind them. That they've learnt from it, they feel remorse and regret for it, and that they've relinquished it. Various institutions (domestic and international) were setup to create the veneer that the preservation and advancement of inalienable rights are central to how the West thinks and operates. That 'values' became core to their policies. Yet, little (if anything) was actually done to make amends for reigning death and destruction, plunder and pillage throughout much of the world for the better part of 500 years. To this day, they can't even bring themselves to teach the history properly in schools.
However, as trained historians started to shed light to the record, exposing colonialism and settler colonialism for what it is, we started to witness the 'backlash' from White 'snowflakes' who found the truth an incredibly bitter pill to swallow. No surprise then that they've had to come up with fake definitions of things like Critical Race Theory to throw their tantrums, because facts don't care about feelings. Being the empty chameleons that they are, political and media elites from the 'right' latched onto this fallout to further capitalize on it.
Yet, until October 8, 2023, there was a sense of being somewhat removed from the Trail of Tears, or the Britain's savage response to the First Indian Revolt of 1857, or the Nakba. We'd listen/read the testimonies of survivors, pore through detailed accounts meticulously compiled by historians and the likes. But such episodes of mass colonial violence by and large felt like a thing of the past (even in Palestine, what continued unabated from 1967 to October 2023 was what the Israelis historian Ilan Pappe called 'incremental' genocide and ethnic cleansing). And on the whole, it felt like the 'left' and 'liberal' segments of the political and media class were slowly but surely confronting the legacy of colonialism (albeit in a piecemeal way, but still it seemed like a baby step or two in the right direction).
The past 14 months has been a jolt to the system of these 'liberals' like nothing else. We've been witnessing the sheer barbarity and hypocrisy that is inherent to colonial violence play out in front of our eyes every single day. At one level, Kier Starmer, Justin Trudeau, the Democrats (and their blind cultish followers) have drank so much of their own self-righteous kool-aid that cognitive dissonance alone prevents them recognizing a genocide staring them right in the face. But we also have to consider a more cynical proposition. The West has never truly, genuinely, sincerely confronted or contended with its colonial past - to honestly address it for what it was. Instead, the 'monster of white supremacy' was largely swept under the carpet with a sustained campaign of mass gaslighting premised on the West's 'virtue' (you won't find any other society other than the world that relentlessly harps about its 'values' in such absolutist terms - empty vessels make the most noise as they say). Gaza has ripped this mask off altogether to expose Western 'liberal' political and media elites for the self-righteous filthy hypocrites they always were. Starmer knows it. Trudeau knows it. Albanese knows it (not Francesca of course). And they're desperately playing every last card to try and piece together the world as it was on October 6th. Thing is, people can't 'unsee' what they've already seen. And what they're seeing is the latest episode of this five century long story called European settler colonial genocide, which as Columbia historian Joseph Massad puts it, is really what 'Western values' are mostly about.
So well said and so damn true!
Maybe we should call it a Holocaust or perhaps slaughter. Would it make any difference? Holocaust would be preferable for me. "Never again" would no longer apply to just one group.
It reminds me of the Mafia providing "insurance". "If you pay us we won't break your window." Just reinterpret the word insurance or genocide.
Genocide doesn't have to mean extermination of all living members of a group of people ( If that's even possible). What is Starmer's"number"That needs to be reached to qualify as a genocide. Or is it a percentage?
Genocide is actually more of a cultural destruction of a people. The Aim is to destroy a society's culture and history And integrate Into the conquerors society. What is being destroyed is the lifestyle, economic system, religion and financial system ( If there is one). Mass killings, starvation, torture etc, are the first step In achieving these goals as can be seen in Gaza.
Starmer Never answered the question about genocide. There is no rule of law international or domestic .
The failure of the leadership ,courts, political systems of the countries supplying arms and assisting in defense of Israel Are all complicit In genocide a Palestinians.
As the Palestinian ambassador said after the 14-1 permanent cease fire resolution, which the U.K. supported perhaps knowing of the shameful inevitable U.S. veto by Robert Wood, “We are not born to be occupied and displaced and killed. That’s not our destiny that’s not our fate,” however much Starmer and Lammy in their Wilsonian neoliberal white hoods may wish to rekindle imperial ambitions by recreating a modern version of the Black Hole of Calcutta
They totally voted because they knew that the US would veto. Starmer is Israel's stooge.
It's like Germany pretending it doesn't want to poke Russia the bear, and that's why it isn't supplying missiles are whatever. Please, the reason you're not is because you're not a nuclear power, don't fall into Putin's nuclear doctrine and so your rockets ending up in Russia are irrelevant
Thanks for this enlightening read as I didn't know of that clause in the Law until now... That means both Lammy and Starmer should be looking forward to a date in the Hague as soon as this genocide is stopped one way or another
It"s not law but it is the state's position
And she teaches me once again! 😅... Thanks for the clarification 😊
You are welcome :)
You may appreciate this podcast
https://soberchristiangentlemanpodcast.substack.com/p/isreal-genocide-in-palestine-reading