White Westerners and their connection to genocide have multiple chapters in the books of history. It should then come as no surprise that in the modern 21st century, this thinking is seemingly blood-bound, tied directly to the Gaza-Israel conflict. Most white Americans want their country to publicly support Israel during this period, while non-white support is considerably lower. Interestingly, after 11,000 Palestinians were killed since the start of the conflict, only then did polls show the majority of all Americans support a ceasefire (it’s not clear in terms of race), though 32% still support Israel. Has the death quota finally been reached?
One of the ways supporters of this war endeavor justify it is by pointing to history, specifically as to how Jews and Israelis have been treated. Personally, I don’t believe that’s an excuse for how the response has been. The history behind all of this may or may not be complicated, but the morality is basic, fundamental, even. A first-world country bringing down the hammer of modern weaponry onto a small piece of land where its people have been starved of resources and cornered off, is not just remarkably unfair; it’s outright genocide in a barrel.
Taking a look at recent history, we saw what happened after the September 11th attack, when more permission was given to the West to carry out further conquest in the Middle East. Claiming they had to defend themselves, the mightiest forces on earth brought down so-called “justice.” Thousands of innocents died, hatred for the Middle East was sewn, and ultimately, years after much of it subsided, other terrorist organizations inevitably took over, hell-bent on revenge. Violence bred radicalization. Sound familiar?
Even in my local state of Rhode Island, it appears this genocidal thinking has continued to fester. The governor fired one of his staff for speaking out against the conflict, the newly elected House representative already made a name for himself by strongly supporting Israel, and Brown University continues to arrest peaceful protesting students and refusing their demands.
It feels as though we’ve lost all hope for common sense and basic morality. From the start, a more proper response was to take a step back and understand how this situation developed. This isn’t “hindsight is 20/20,” either. The history was there, albeit it seems Israel, along with many of the Western nations, still don’t understand for whatever reason. I wager it’s racism and vitriol towards those who don’t look like your standard white individual or share similar cultures.
Finally, questions then must be asked: How did Israel’s treatment of Palestinian people contribute to the 2023 attack? Is responding with a hammer the most appropriate? Should violence even have been considered? And now that the damage has been done and trudging on, how do we prevent Hamas 2.0? Ceasefires have been called for. Further though, what are the possible reparations and the repair of the Israeli-Palestinian relationship? Lastly, at this point, which countries should be held accountable for war crimes?
In short, the answer has been clear from the start. It’s not necessary to dance around it anymore, either. This is a deliberate genocide rooted in colonialism funded by the usual suspects: the West.
[Article photo was taken on December 11, 2023 of the Brown University sit in protest]