“They are not humans, they are savages”, this is the pretext, history tells us, every European colonizer had used to commit ethnic cleansing and mass murder in colonies across North and South America, Africa, and Asia. So, you would expect the world to raise alarm when Israeli officials, led by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, have said they are fighting against “human animals.”
But no, we see the so called champions of human rights US and EU officials openly use genocidal language against Palestinians. The only explanation for this behavior is that the West and Israel have long since dehumanized Palestinians to the point where Palestinian suffering is normalized.
Meanwhile, Palestinians in Gaza are dying in distressingly large numbers. Israeli bombardment of Gaza since October 8 is the most shocking the besieged enclave has ever seen. Already, 2300 Palestinians have been killed, including over 700 children, and 10,000 injured. Entire neighborhoods have been leveled, leaving over 423,000 internally displaced.
And yet, there has been no outpouring of sympathy for Palestinians. In fact, the US and European countries have resisted formal calls for a ceasefire or even statements of concern for Palestinian civilians, thereby granting Israel permission to carry out its military campaign as it sees fit. Even Israel’s decision to stop providing Gaza with any water, food, fuel, or medical supplies—considered a severe war crime under international law, mind you described as “pure acts of terror” elsewhere by western leaders—received no protests from the West, in fact, some tried to justify it.
However, the truth must be told, and the truth is abhorrently repulsive and depressing. Gaza is a concentration camp. Gaza serves as a human laboratory where Israeli arms manufacturers test their products on the bodies, psyches, and spirits of Palestinians. Those who insist that the Hamas attack was “unprovoked” easily ignored the brutal conditions Palestinians have to endure, including 75 years of ethnic cleansing, and 17 years of relentless siege on Gaza. They conveniently forget the daily pain of brutal occupation.
The history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is replete with opposing narratives. No matter which narrative you choose, the present situation is clear. Right now, Israel has no intention to allow the Palestinians to establish a viable and independent state. It plans to keep a sizable portion of the Palestinian territories under occupation, including the boundaries and airspace of a potential Palestinian state. In other words, just give the Palestinians a flag, passport, and stamp and call it a state.
Which brings up the next logical question; how has Israel, one of the most powerful militaries in the world, been able to maintain and justify one of the most inhumane occupations for 75 years against literally defenseless people? The answer is simple; the systematic dehumanization of the Palestinians allows Israel to justify its occupation unprecedented in modern times in terms of its length and oppression. And today, the degree of dehumanization has grown to the point where hapless Palestinians are blamed for their own deaths.
