How Israel seeks to justify its actions in Gaza

JVL Introduction

Tom London, a proud British Jew and what he describes as an “unthinking Zionist” for most of his life, has rightly became exercised by the ongoing destruction in Gaza, so exercised that he decided to grapple with the issues in an extended “Open Letter to those in the UK who are silent on Gaza”.

He writes in his introduction:

“This is [one] of ten chapters examining what is happening in Gaza and why we must speak up. The situation in Gaza is an abomination and the UK Government is supporting and enabling it. The fate of two million people – around half of whom are children – trapped in Gaza and being starved and bombed to death is obviously a moral issue of the first order”

The letter, when finished, will run to ten short chapters of around a thousand words each. Six are already available.

We repost the most recent of these below and, following that, Tom’s plan for the whole series plus a link to get on to his mailing list if you are interested in reading more.

We most certainly are!

RK

How Israel seeks to justify its actions in Gaza

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s Prime Minister, responded quickly to the statement of UK, France and Canada declaring the level of human suffering in Gaza to be intolerable and threatening Israel with “concrete actions”. I quote his reply in full as it includes all of Israel’s justifications for their actions in Gaza, with one exception.

“By asking Israel to end a defensive war for our survival before Hamas terrorists on our border are destroyed and by demanding a Palestinian state, the leaders in London, Ottawa and Paris are offering a huge prize for the genocidal attack on Israel on October 7 while inviting more such atrocities. 

The war began on October 7 when Palestinian terrorists stormed our borders, murdered 1,200 innocent people and abducted over 250 more innocents to the dungeons of Gaza. 

Israel accepts President Trump’s vision and urges all European leaders to do the same. 

The war can end tomorrow if the remaining hostages are released, Hamas lays down its arms, its murderous leaders are exiled and Gaza is demilitarized. No nation can be expected to accept anything less and Israel certainly won’t. 

This is a war of civilization over barbarism. Israel will continue to defend itself by just means until total victory is achieved.”

The justification not mentioned here by Netanyahu is that the land was promised to the Jewish people in the Bible. Such claims are powerful for groups like American Evangelical Christians. Ironically, Israel’s founders and around half of its Jewish population identify as secular. In the mordant comment of Israeli historian Ilan Pappe, “Most Zionists do not believe in the existence of God, but they believe that He promised them Palestine.”

I address Netanyahu’s justifications one by one.

It a defensive war for our survival

Many Israelis, according to pollsters, believe that Netanyahu is prolonging the war for his own political survival. If he ends the war, the hard right will bring down his government and he will face investigation into his failure to protect Israel on 7 October and the prospect of prison in domestic criminal cases and at The Hague.

Israel’s actions in Gaza do not remotely resemble a defensive war. They amount to genocide, as discussed in chapter 3.

Here are just four examples of Israel’s actions which are not directed at self-defence but are consistent with carrying out a genocide.

• Cutting off water, food, medical supplies and power to some 2 million of our fellow human beings (half of whom are children).
• Using 2000 lb bombs designed to cause widespread indiscriminate death rather than precision bombing against Hamas targets.
• 10 November 2023, Israeli army forced at gun point medical staff at al-Nasr Children’s Hospital to abandon premature babies in incubators. Their tiny bodies were later found decomposed.
• Israeli snipers have shot dead multiple children with single bullets in their heads as evidenced by US and UK doctors.

Hamas must be destroyed

Gaza has been under an illegal and brutal Israeli military occupation since 1967. Since 2005, Israel has enforced a strict blockade and imposed occupation externally by land, air, sea and control of utilities. Palestinians – like all peoples – have the right to resist occupation.

Within the confines of Israel’s occupation, Hamas has imposed a brutal rule of its own in Gaza. Many Palestinians oppose Hamas or support it out of fear. However, it is also true that after over half a century of occupation, Hamas is seen by many Palestinians as a liberation movement. For them, it embodies an idea and ideas cannot be destroyed.

Opposition to a Palestinian State

British politicians say they want a “two state solution”. Hamas in its 2017 Charter and since, has indicated it could accept this based on Israel’s 1967 borders, in line with the international consensus.

Netanyahu is adamant that he would never accept this. What is his vision for the future of Palestinians? Perpetual occupation, persecution and humiliation or ethnic cleansing or death?

The war began on 7 October

Most Israelis believe that Hamas started this war and have an understandable desire for revenge. Israel has imposed collective punishment, which means the entire population of Gaza is made to pay, often with their lives, for the actions of Hamas. Imposing collective punishment is a war crime.

Palestinians see 7 October as part of a sequence of events which started with the Nakba of 1948 or earlier. It is possible to hold this view while admitting that Hamas committed war crimes on 7 October. What is not possible is to ignore the long history of oppression that led to 7 October.

Accepting Trump’s vision for Gaza (which is a Gaza without any of the 2.2 million Palestinians) 

How do you get from 2.2 million Palestinians to zero? There are only two ways: you force people out – that is the war crime of ethnic cleansing – or you kill them.

The war can end tomorrow if the remaining hostages are released, Hamas lays down its arms, its murderous leaders are exiled and Gaza is demilitarized. Israel will continue until total victory.

The last ceasefire deal had a second phase which included the release of all the hostages. Israel unilaterally broke the ceasefire before this second phase.

Hostages’ families are prominent among the Israelis criticising Netanyahu and strongly oppose his current action in Gaza which they say betrays the remaining hostages.

Netanyahu seeks total victory. The Americans achieved “total victory” over the Native Americans, the Australians achieved “total victory” over the Aboriginals. Many draw parallels between the plight of Palestinians and these indigenous peoples.

This is a war of civilisation over barbarism

Imagine you are one of the billions watching the genocide in Gaza online and you live in China, India, Nigeria, Peru, Vietnam, South Africa or anywhere outside the West. You will know about the cruelty and brutality of Western colonialist regimes. You will know that the West considers itself civilised. You will be able to see clearly who the “barbarians” are here.

Chapter outline (each a maximum of 1,000 words):

1. Introduction
2. I am Jewish and for almost fifty years I was a Zionist
3. It is correct to call this a genocide and doing so has significant consequences
4. The role of Hamas and the war crimes it committed on 7 October
5. How Israel seeks to justify its actions in Gaza
6. Israeli propaganda now and over decades
7. How UK media has manufactured consent for genocide. Or, at least, for silence
8. Why you should care about Gaza, not only morally, but in your own self-interest
9. Why some decent people are silent about Gaza
10. What you can do about Gaza?

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