We’ve hit the point where people are only trying to save their own asses from any type of future justice. Justice that will hopefully come before they are all dead.
It is a positive shift. Don’t get me wrong. But what we are seeing right now has not done anything yet to improve the material conditions of the people of Gaza or Palestine as a whole.
These western leaders and scholars are trying to form a narrative that can be looked back at as “the point” in which they stood up against the genocide. But (1) that point was 19 months ago and (2) they aren’t actually doing anything to stop the genocide.
We cannot let history see them in a good light. These leaders and scholars have known exactly what has been happening for the last 19 months. You can’t spend 19 months denying the acts of genocide and only finally come to the conclusion once Gaza is reduced to ruins and it’s entire population is starving. That not what genocide scholars are meant to tell us. They aren’t meant to tell as after the fact. They are meant to learn from history and call out these things long before it is allowed to reach this point.
And many of them did. But if you’re a “genocide scholar” and you’re only now coming to the conclusion that this is genocide. 19 months after real scholars correctly pointed to it. You are not a scholar. You are a glorified record keeper.
Unfortunately the university academics are not government leaders.
And many of them did. But if you’re a “genocide scholar” and you’re only now coming to the conclusion that this is genocide. 19 months after real scholars correctly pointed to it. You are not a scholar. You are a glorified record keeper.
All of them have been agreeing that Israel is committing genocidal acts pretty much since month, if not week, one. Then the scholarly debate started on whether the sum of genocidal acts already constitutes genocide proper. It’s one of those cases where scholars make distinctions that activists don’t like because activists like simple narratives, punchy slogans, clear-cut lines, as opposed to getting bogged down in nuance.
I’m not saying that activists are wrong calling it a genocide, I’ve been predicting that the Kahanites are going to use the opportunity on day fucking one, but it’s also not right to expect scholars to lower their standards, simplify their analytic framework. There’s a good reason why they apply metric tons of nuance to everything.
but it’s also not right to expect scholars to lower their standards, simplify their analytic framework.
A livestreamed genocide where the perpetrators were unapologetically genocidal since day 0 and with the 100 year history of colonizing Palestine, any “genocide scholar” who was held back by their standards was a glorified record keeper, waiting until it’s widely recognized as a genocide before labeling it as such themselves.
And you’re white-washing their cowardice as scholarly integrity and standards. Bullshit.
A livestreamed genocide where the perpetrators were unapologetically genocidal since day 0
That’s evidence of a genocidal act, and of intent of the precise perpetrators. It does not, on its own, prove that Israel, as opposed to merely those people, are guilty of genocide. Israel could, for example, have brought them to justice themselves.
And you’re white-washing their cowardice as scholarly integrity and standards. Bullshit.
Upholding things like the presumption of innocence and due process does not preclude me from shouting “stop the thief”. As said: I’ve been doing that since day one. Yet, when dragging that thief before court, I’d still expect the court to actually look at the matter in detail. Those procedural hoops exist for good reason: Justice cannot be served by mob rule.
Israeli academics have condemned the genocide in Gaza, but progressive liberals in the US like Bill Maher don’t even dare mention it.
Bill Maher used to be a right leaning “centrist” when he was running politically incorrect in the 90s. His politics never changed, he just got critical of crazy Republican shit like the Iraq war and then Trump ignoring elections.
