Israel, Genocide, And The Logic Of

Zionism
In our Bizarro World, Judeo!azism" is for real
# $% Jus&in 'aimondo
( Augus& ), *+,-, Bos&on, .ri Lan/a Guardian0 1is&or% is full of ironies2 World War I,
mar/e&ed &o Americans as a 3ar &o end all 3ars," 4a5ed &he 3a% for an e5en more
massi5e slaugh&er6 The in5asion and con7ues& of Ira7 8 3hich 3as su44osed &o augur
3ha& George W6 Bush hailed as a glo$al democra&ic re5olu&ion" 8 ins&ead ushered in a
ne3 era of chaos, $loodshed, and &%rann% in &he region6 And in &he %ear *+,-, &he s&a&e
of Israel, founded in large 4ar& as a reac&ion &o &he 1olocaus&, has em$ar/ed on a
4olic% of genocide in Gaza6
The Israelis and &heir in&erna&ional amen corner are increasingl% o4en a$ou& &his2 a
recen& ar&icle in &he Times of Israel 8 since &a/en do3n 8 3as 7ui&e e94lici& in a5erring
&ha& Israels righ& of selfdefense" includes &he o4&ion of 3i4ing ou& &he en&ire
4o4ula&ion of Gaza2
:1amas has s&a&ed for&hrigh&l% &ha& i& idealizes dea&h as much as Israel cele$ra&es life6
Wha& o&her 3a% &hen is &here &o deal 3i&h an enem% of &his na&ure o&her &han o$li&era&e
&hem com4le&el%; < =A>n%one 3ho li5es 3i&h roc/e& launchers ins&alled or &error
&unnels $urro3ed in or around &he 5icini&% of &heir home canno& $e considered an
innocen& ci5ilian6:
According &o &he au&hor, IsraeliAmerican ?ochanon Gordon 8 a regular Times of
Israel columnis& 8 &he na&ure of &his enem%" mus& au&oma&icall% cause &he rules of
s&andard 3arfare &o $e sus4ended6" Af&er arguing for a 4olic% of genocide &hroughou&
&he 4iece, Gordon 4oses a 7ues&ion &o humani&arians"2 If 4oli&ical leaders and
mili&ar% e94er&s de&ermine &ha& &he onl% 3a% &o achie5e i&s goal of sus&aining 7uie& is
&hrough genocide is i& &hen 4ermissi$le &o achie5e &hose res4onsi$le goals;"
Gordons ans3er is clear enough, in s4i&e of his insinceresounding a4olog%," $u& he%
8 %ou migh& sa% 8 &his is @us& an o4inion 4iece $% someone 3ho li5es in Aedarhurs&,
!e3 ?or/2 i& doesn& fairl% reflec& Israeli 4u$lic o4inion6 ?e& 4olls re4or& mos& Israelis
sa% &he IBC isn& using enough force in Gaza, and as for &he Times of Israel2 al&hough
&he% &oo/ do3n Gordons 4rogenocide 4iece &he% 4u$lished a 5er% similar ar&icle &ha&
5er% da% 8 3hich 3as no& &a/en do3n 8 ma/ing essen&iall% &he same argumen&6
Dn&i&led , .amuel ,)2,E," &he au&hor 8 one Ir3in Blan/, ano&her American 3i&h dual
Israeli na&ionali&% 8 argues &ha& &he Je3ish 4eo4le ha5e $een 4ursued $% Ama/eli&es"
in one form or ano&her &hroughou& &heir his&or%, and mus& finall% &a/e measures &o
elimina&e &heir ancien& nemesis6 The &i&le is a reference &o &his Bi$lical 4assage2
:And .amuel said &o .aul, The Lord sen& me &o anoin& %ou /ing o5er his 4eo4le IsraelF
no3 &herefore lis&en &o &he 3ords of &he Lord6 Thus sa%s &he Lord of hos&s, I ha5e
no&ed 3ha& Amale/ did &o Israel in o44osing &hem on &he 3a% 3hen &he% came u4 ou&
of Dg%4&6 !o3 go and s&ri/e Amale/ and de5o&e &o des&ruc&ion all &ha& &he% ha5e6 Bo
no& s4are &hem, $u& /ill $o&h man and 3oman, child and infan&, o9 and shee4, camel
and don/e%6:
Well, %es, $u& Gr6 Blan/ is no& !e&an%ahu6 And &he Israeli Hrime Ginis&er 3ill ne5er
gi5e 5oice &o such o4inions, of &ha& 3e can $e sure 8 %e& o&hers in &he &o4 Israeli
leadershi4 ha5en& $een so circums4ec&6 Goshe Ceiglin, de4u&% s4ea/er of &he Inesse&
and chief of Bi$is Li/ud 4ar&% leadershi4 grou4, has a 4lan &ha& im4lemen&s &he
GordonBlan/ genocide 4olic% in chillingl% de&ailed &erms6
:This is our coun&r% 8 our coun&r% e9clusi5el%,: he sa%s on his Cace$oo/ 4age,
:including Gaza6: Aalling for &he :con7ues& of &he en&ire Gaza .&ri4, and annihila&ion of
all figh&ing forces and &heir su44or&ers,: Ceiglin ran&s &ha& Israel mus& :&urn Gaza in&o
Jaffa, a flourishing Israeli ci&% 3i&h a minimum num$er of hos&ile ci5ilians6:
Jaffa 3as e&hnicall% cleansed of Hales&inians $% &he Je3ish &erroris& grou4 Irgun in an
o4era&ion $egun on Ga% ,J, ,K-E, &he da% $efore Israel declared s&a&ehood2 mos& of &he
Ara$ 4o4ula&ion 3as dri5en from &he ci&%, and man% 3ere murdered in &he s&ree&s,
&heir homes loo&ed6 In ano&her re4rise of Alios 3ic/ed sense of iron%, &he -,+++
remaining Ara$s 3ere forced in&o officiall%designa&ed ghe&&oes 8 and &he ci&% 3as
re4o4ula&ed $% Je3s, 3ho 3ere gran&ed legal" &i&le &o 3ha& 3as formerl% Hales&inian
4ro4er&%6
The Ceiglin 4lan, 4resen&ed in &he form of an o4en le&&er &o !e&an%ahu, calls on him &o
designa&e cer&ain o4en areas on &he .inai $order, ad@acen& &o &he sea, in 3hich &he
ci5ilian 4o4ula&ion 3ill $e concen&ra&ed, far from &he $uil&u4 areas &ha& are used for
launches and &unneling6 In &hese areas, &en& encam4men&s 3ill $e es&a$lished, un&il
rele5an& emigra&ion des&ina&ions are de&ermined6" Oh, and @us& &o $e clear2 The su44l%
of elec&rici&% and 3a&er &o &he formerl% 4o4ula&ed areas 3ill $e disconnec&ed," as &he
area is shelled 3i&h ma9imum fire 4o3er6 The en&ire ci5ilian and mili&ar%
infras&ruc&ure of 1amas, i&s means of communica&ion and of logis&ics, 3ill $e
des&ro%ed en&irel%, do3n &o &heir founda&ions6" Then &he mo44ing u4 3ill $egin as &he
IBC mo5es in &o e9&ermina&e nes&s of resis&ance, in &he e5en& &ha& an% should remain6"
Wha& 3ill ha44en &o &hose s&ill lef& ali5e in &he &en& encam4men&s" (i6e6 concen&ra&ion
cam4s0; Ceiglin 3an&s &hem e94elled2 Israel 3ill s&ar& searching for emigra&ion
des&ina&ions and 7uo&as for &he refugees from Gaza6" As for &hose 3ho insis& on
s&a%ing" 8 and 4resuma$l% li5ing in a $om$edou& ruin 8 if &he% can $e 4ro5en &o ha5e
no affilia&ion 3i&h 1amas" &he% 3ill $e re7uired &o 4u$licl% sign a declara&ion of
lo%al&% &o Israel, and recei5e a $lue IB card similar &o &ha& of &he Ara$s of Das&
Jerusalem6"
Wh% no& ma/e &hem 3ear a $lue A" on &heir clo&hing, @us& so 3e can hear Alions $i&&er
laugh&er;
Ceiglins genocidal 5ie3s aren& a minori&% fringe" 4osi&ion in Israel2 he re4resen&s &he
o5er3helming ma@ori&%6 And go5ernmen& 4olic% in &he Gaza conflic& reflec&s &he s4iri&
of Ceiglinism, al$ei& 3i&hou& e5er ac/no3ledging i& in Wes&ern 5enues2 Israeli
4ro4aganda aimed a& us has relen&lessl% de4ic&ed &he IBCs a&&ac/s on 4urel% ci5ilian
&arge&s as ei&her &ragic mis&a/es" or &he resul& of a deli$era&e 4lan $% 1amas &o
ma9imize ci5ilian casual&ies in order &o garner s%m4a&h% from &he in&erna&ional
communi&%6
?e& fac&s, as 'onald 'eagan 3ould agree, are s&u$$orn &hings, and &he s&a&is&ics
coming ou& of &his onesided conflic& are clear2 an inordina&e 4ercen&age of &hose /illed
and horri$l% maimed $% Israeli s&ri/es are children6 There ha5e $een no less &han
se5en a&&ac/s on L! schools in Gaza during O4era&ion Hro&ec&i5e Ddge," &hree in &he
4as& &en da%s, according &o &he Guardian6 The la&es&, 3hich L! General .ecre&ar% Ban
Iimoon charac&erizes as a criminal ac&," /illed &en and 3ounded dozens of mos&l%
3omen and children6 According &o Goon, &he Israelis ha5e $een re4ea&edl% informed
of &he loca&ion of &hese si&es," and %e& &hese sanc&uaries 3here children see/ refuge
from Israels relen&less assaul& ha5e a44aren&l% $een in&en&ionall% &arge&ed6
This /ill &he /iddies" cam4aign 3as drama&ized $% &he s&ar&ling foo&age of &hose
Hales&inian /ids 4la%ing on a Gaza $each 3ho 3ere $las&ed &o $i&s $% an offshore Israeli
3arshi46
Well, &ha&s one 3a% &o defuse &he demogra4hic &ime$om$ &ha& 3ill soon ma/e &he
Israelis a minori&% in &heir o3n Je3ish s&a&e6
There 3as some ho4e, $efore &he ,KMN 3ar, &ha& Israel and &he Hales&inians could
coe9is& side $% side2 &he Israeli occu4a&ion in &he 3a/e of Israels s&unning 5ic&or%
foreclosed &ha& 4ossi$ili&% for &he foreseea$le fu&ure6 As &he grea& li$er&arian
?esha%ahu Lei$o3i&z, one of &he in&ellec&ual gian&s of Israels founding genera&ion, 4u&
i&2
A s&a&e ruling a hos&ile 4o4ula&ion of ,6) million &o * million foreigners 3ould
necessaril% $ecome a secre&4olice s&a&e, 3i&h all &ha& im4lies for educa&ion, free s4eech
and democra&ic ins&i&u&ions6 The corru4&ion charac&eris&ic of e5er% colonial regime
3ould also 4re5ail in &he .&a&e of Israel6 The adminis&ra&ion 3ould ha5e &o su44ress &he
Ara$ insurgenc% on &he one hand and ac7uire Ara$ 7uislings on &he o&her6 There is also
good reason &o fear &ha& &he Israel Befense Corce, 3hich has $een un&il no3 a 4eo4les
arm%, 3ould, as a resul& of $eing &ransformed in&o an arm% of occu4a&ion, degenera&e,
and i&s commanders, 3ho 3ill ha5e $ecome mili&ar% go5ernors, resem$le &heir
colleagues in o&her na&ions6"
Hos&,KMN un4ar&i&ioned Dre&z Israel" 3ould $ecome irredeema$l% corru4&ed $% &he
mili&arism, au&hori&arianism, and fana&icism engendered $% Israels ne3 role as
con7uis&ador6 'acism 3ould $ecome &he official s&a&e ideolog%, and &he en&ire energies
of &he Je3ish s&a&e 3ould $e de5o&ed &o &he s4ecific &as/s of go5ernmen& and
adminis&ra&ion of &his s&range s%s&em of 4oli&ical domina&ion6" As &he &rends he
a$horred gained ground in Israeli socie&% Lei$o3i&zs dar/ 5ision of Israels fu&ure 3en&
4i&ch $lac/6 In &he &erminal 4hases of i&s u&&er degenera&ion 8 3hen Israel 3ould no&
deser5e &o e9is&, and i& 3ould no& $e 3or&h3hile &o 4reser5e i&" 8 Lei$o3i&z 4redic&ed
3e 3ould 3i&ness &he a44earance of Israeli concen&ra&ion cam4s" &o 3hich &he
remnan&s of &he Hales&inian na&ion 3ould $e consigned6
In shor&, Lei$o3i&z sa3 Ceiglin coming2 he sa3 i& in ,KEK, 3hen &his 5ideo 3as made,
3hen he 4oin&ed &o a cree4ing !azili/e men&ali&%" 3hich %ou can see an%3here" 8
no& onl% on &he fringes $u& in &he highes& reaches of Israels 4oli&ical class6 Israel, he
said, essen&iall% $ecame a dic&a&orshi4 &he momen& i& decided &o rule o5er millions of
disenfranchised Hales&inians 3ho essen&iall% $ecame 4risoners in &heir o3n land6
I 3ould go fur&her &han Lei$o3i&z, ho3e5er2 i& is clear from &he 3ri&ings of Zionis&
leaders &ha& &he% unders&ood &he im4lica&ions of &heir o3n doc&rine from &he
$eginning6 Theodore 1erzl, &he mo5emen&s re5ered founder, confided in his diar% &ha&
&he indigenous Hales&inians 3ould ha5e &o $e s4iri&ed across &he $order discree&l% and
circums4ec&l%6" Ba5id BenGurion, Israels George Washing&on, 3as more e94lici&2
We mus& e94el &he Ara$s and &a/e &heir 4laces," he 3ro&e in a le&&er &o his son6
This 3as al3a%s &he ine5i&a$le logic of Zionism, a form of religious na&ionalism &ha&
claims God 4romised &he Je3ish 4eo4le &he land from &he !ile &o &he Du4hra&es6"
Tha& accom4lishing &his goal necessi&a&ed a mili&ar% cam4aign 3as disa44eared $%
earl% 4romo&ers of &he Zionis& 4ro@ec&, 4rimaril% lef&is&s of 5arious sor&s, 3ho 4ain&ed a
4ic&ure of a ha44% socialis&ic union of Je3ish and na&i5e Ara$ cul&ures &ha& 3ould
ma/e &he deser& $loom6
I& 3as, in shor&, &he Zionis& e7ui5alen& of &he &he%ll sho3er us 3i&h rose 4e&als"
argumen& made $% neoconser5a&i5es in &he run u4 &o &he Ira7 3ar6 This so4orific
fan&as% soon ga5e 3a% &o a more realis&ic assessmen&, ho3e5er, as Ara$ hos&ili&% &o
&heir dis4ossession 4ersis&ed 8 and &he horrors of &he !a$/a 3ere no& forgo&&en6
Lei$o3i&zs line of demarca&ion is ,KMN2 &he %ear Israel crossed &he 'u$icon, $ecame an
occu4ier, and, in his 5ie3, ceased $eing a democrac% and mor4hed, ins&ead, in&o &he
onl% dic&a&orshi4 in &he socalled enligh&ened 3orld6 ?e& &he dic&a&orshi4 he said 3as
alread% accom4lished, in 4rinci4le, $% &he fac& of occu4a&ion 3as in reali&% es&a$lished
much sooner 8 in &he e5en&s of &he original dis4ossession and slaugh&er, 3hich
Hales&inians call &he !a$/a, and 3hich made &he Je3ish s&a&e 4ossi$le in &he firs&
4lace6
The mul&icul&ural /i$$u&zim en5isioned $% earl% Zionis& u&o4ians had &o e5ol5e in&o &he
Israeli .4ar&a of &oda%6 Zionism is a form of religious na&ionalism 4redica&ed on a
s&ra&eg% of coloniza&ion, con7ues&, and e94ulsion of indigenous 4eo4les6 Wha&
Lei$o3i&z righ&l% la$eled Judeo!azism" 3as fes&ering a& Israels core from da% one6
And as Lei$o3i&z famousl% 4u& i&, 'eligious na&ionalism is &o religion 3ha& na&ional
socialism is &o socialism" 8 3hich is 4recisel% 3ha& 3e are seeing emerge, full $lo3n, in
Israel &oda%6
'oaring i&s o$scene defiance a& an ou&raged 3orld 8 Bon& %ou e5er second guess meO"
$ar/ed !e&an%ahu a& his American allies 3hen &he% regis&ered &he mildes& of 4ro&es&s
a& his murderous &ac&ics 8 Israel con&inues i&s $li&z/rieg 3i&h no end in sigh& $u& &he
one 4roffered $% Ceiglin6
While 3e ha5e go&&en 7ui&e used &o &he sigh& of Israel conduc&ing a shoo&inggaller%
3ar" in &he o4en air 4rison &ha& is Gaza, &here is some&hing ne3 a$ou& &his la&es&
e9hi$i&ion of s&a&e &errorism6 There is a /ind of murderous glee in &he Israeli
leadershi4s in5ersion of all moral and in&erna&ional legal s&andards in i&s conduc& of
&his 3ar," as if &he% &a/e s4ecial deligh& in u4ending cen&uries of @us& 3ar" doc&rine
regarding 4ro4or&ionali&% and &he /illing of innocen&s, and are eager &o re4lace i& 3i&h
&heir o3n ru&hless nihilism &ha& o3es more &o !ie&zsche &han &o Thomas A7uinas6
'emem$er &he genesis of &his 3ar6 In &he 3a/e of &he horrific murder of &hree Israeli
$o%s $% a rogue clan /no3n for going agains& &he 1amas leadershi4, a Cace$oo/ 4age
calling for a 3ar of re5enge" 3as se& u4 $% Israeli righ&3ingers2 one 4ho&o sho3s a
grou4 of girls 3i&h a sign sa%ing 1a&ing Hales&inians isn& racism, i&s 5alues"O
?es, &he ne3 5alues of &he ne3 Israel 8 or, 4erha4s, &he old 5alues finall% realized6
Jus&in 'aimondo is &he edi&orial direc&or of An&i3ar6com, and a senior fello3 a& &he
'andol4h Bourne Ins&i&u&e6 1e is a con&ri$u&ing edi&or a& The American Aonser5a&i5e,
and 3ri&es a mon&hl% column for Ahronicles
Hos&ed $% Tha5am