"In other words, Gaza is the place-and the event-in reference to which we must orient our actions, our thoughts, our lives. It is the most important place in the world right now, because the genocide taking place in all of historic Palestine, with Gaza as its most brutal flashpoint, reveals the foundation of violence and domination on which the architecture of the present world order has been built, as well as the terrible struggle that will be necessary to tear it down."
"It is understandable, then, that so many writers have turned their attention to Gaza since 2023. Indeed, this attention is exactly what is required of us. A failure to think about Gaza means a failure to think at all: Any thought which bears no trace of the absolute inhumanity of the present has already taken the side of the murderers. Thinking about Gaza implies a responsibility as well: to treat the subject with the requisite seriousness and attention so that one does not add to the significant trove of poor, cynical writing on the Palestinian people and their struggle; to understand one's limitations while simultaneously attempting to reach outside them; to assimilate horror, yes, but to think beyond it towards liberation as well."
"Many Western thinkers have, predictably, collapsed before this responsibility. "Collapse" isn't quite right-wishful thinking, perhaps-because they unfortunately continue to write. One expects racist invective, false histories, and motivated reasoning from those on the political right like Ben Shapiro or Bernard-Henri Lévy, or from liberal Zionist thinkers like Michael Walzer (the "just war theorist" who, through crocodile tea"
Gaza is presented as the central reference point for orienting actions, thoughts, and lives. The genocide occurring across historic Palestine, with Gaza as its most brutal flashpoint, is described as revealing the foundation of violence and domination underlying the current world order. Attention to Gaza is framed as necessary, because failing to think about Gaza is treated as failing to think at all. Thinking about Gaza is also described as a responsibility to approach the subject with seriousness, recognize limitations, and move beyond horror toward liberation. Western writing is criticized for avoiding this responsibility through motivated reasoning, false histories, and racist invective, including from right-wing and liberal Zionist figures.
Read at Defector
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]