Some Observations Concerning Palestine
For what they're worth...
Violence unfolds.
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In no particular order:
Hamas’ actions over the last several days have been nothing short of monstrous. There is no ethical framework which could possibly justify them,1 and anyone seeking to defend them is a moral cretin.
The “total siege” imposed on the Gaza Strip by Israel is flagrantly illegal under international law, and will almost certainly cause a great deal of suffering and death. It should be abandoned at once.
Netanyahu’s “warning” to Gazan civilians (telling them “leave now”) is risible. As B’Tselem (Israel’s primary human rights organization) noted, “The Gaza Strip is closed off on all sides and the residents have no way out. There are no shelters and no way to seek cover from airstrikes.”
According to polls conducted about a month ago, the vast majority of Palestinians do not support Hamas, with only 27% regarding them as the rightful representatives of the Palestinian people. At the same time, 59% of Gazans believe it is impossible to criticize the Hamas authorities without fear. This is not surprising, seeing as both the PA and Hamas have routinely imprisoned and tortured their opponents for years. Anyone tempted to blame ordinary Palestinians for the atrocities of the last few days should bear these facts in mind.
At the same time, 71% of Palestinians believe that the expansion of illegal settlements have rendered a two-state solution impossible, while 58% support “armed confrontations and intifada” as a means to end the occupation. Two lessons here: (1) so long as the occupation continues, the violence will continue to worsen;2 (2) there is no realistic path to a negotiated peace which does not involve the dismantling of the illegal Israeli settlements.
Hamas’ horrific crimes will only increase US support for Israel, including the illegal settlements, thereby reducing the prospects for a negotiated peace. In other words, Hamas’ actions are not merely evil; they are also deeply contrary to the interests of the vast majority of Palestinians.
Israeli politicians have ramped up the use of genocidal rhetoric, with one member of the Knesset calling for a “Nakba that will overshadow the Nakba of 48,” and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stating that “We are fighting human animals, and we act accordingly,” before cutting off all access to food, water, and medicine in Gaza.
It’s rather odd how few people are pointing out that Israel is bombing a place where they know Israeli and American hostages are being held. Dropping bombs on a hostage’s location seems like a rather odd way to go about rescuing them.
Since 2000, more than 10,555 Palestinians have been killed, including over 2,270 children (source: B’Tselem). Israel’s occupation has been labelled “apartheid” by virtually all major human rights organizations (including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, B’Tselem, and Yesh Din), as well as many high-profile Israeli figures, such as former Mossad chief Tamir Pardo. No serious analysis of the situation in Israel-Palestine can fail to take account of these facts.
If you pray, please do so for the victims of Hamas’ atrocities (including those held hostage in Gaza), for the Gazans currently subject to vicious bombing and blockade, for the safety of the inhabitants of Israel, and for the Palestinian people as a whole, who have endured nearly six decades of oppression.
I shouldn’t have to do this, but just in case: deontologists should oppose Hamas’ actions because they violate the rights of their innocent victims, utilitarians should oppose them since they cause vastly more suffering than benefit (indeed, they confer no benefit on anyone as far as I can tell), and virtue ethicists should oppose them because they exemplify all manner of vices (e.g. bloodlust and sadism).
It should go without saying, but this is not a justification of Palestinian violence against Israeli civilians. “To explain is not to justify,” and to understand is not to sympathize.
Very true