Death and Its Accompaniments
In a sobering analysis, anthropologist and sociologist Didier Fassin sheds light on the destruction of Palestine and the role of Western nations in this tragic event. Fassin, currently a professor at the College de France and the Institute of Advanced Study in Princeton, has published a book titled "Moral Abdication: How the World Failed to Stop the Destruction of Palestine."
The book delves into the consent, both passive and active, shown by many Western states, as well as some countries in Eastern Europe, South Asia, and Latin America, towards Palestine's destruction. This consent, according to Fassin, has created a deep rift between the Global North and the Global South, severely damaging the legitimacy of Western governments.
Examples of active consent include European heads of state traveling to Israel to affirm their support for its reprisals against Palestine, and several countries sending weaponry to the Israeli armed forces. Passive consent, on the other hand, is evident in the United Nations Security Council's decline to call for a ceasefire in Palestine, and the failure of most higher educational institutions to condemn the destruction of Palestinian universities and the assassination of their professors.
Israeli historian Raz Segal describes the situation in Palestine as a "textbook case of genocide," and the case brought by South Africa before the International Court of Justice establishes two facts that correspond to the definition of a genocide. The number of indirect deaths in Palestine is estimated to be four times higher than direct deaths, with approximately 56,000 people having been killed, mostly civilians.
Fassin argues that the Israeli army's actions in Palestine, such as the mass murder of civilians, the use of human shields, and the destruction of schools and hospitals, have been justified in moral terms, despite violating international humanitarian law and the Genocide Convention. He uses the term "hasbara" to describe the propaganda used by Israel to present a moral image of the country to the world.
However, Fassin also addresses the complex issue of the invocation of the Shoah to justify the support of Western countries, especially Germany, for the destruction of Palestine. This, he argues, is problematic due to several reasons, including the fact that most Israelis today are not descendants of victims of the genocide of European Jews.
The persecution of Jews by Europeans over the centuries cannot be absolved by the mass murder of Palestinians, who had no responsibility for such persecution. Fassin's book serves as a stark reminder of the moral and political failures that have allowed the tragedy in Palestine to continue, and the urgent need for accountability and justice.
In 2023, Germany, despite later partially halting arms shipments that could be used in Palestine, actively contributed to arming the Israeli army involved in Palestine by approving arms exports worth around 485 million euros to Israel from October 7, 2023. Germany is Israel’s second-largest weapons supplier, providing about 30% of its imported arms.
The International Court of Justice's recognition of the genocide perpetrated in Palestine will be an important litmus test for the independence of international justice, as it faces pressures and threats from Israeli officials and the United States. The fate of Palestine remains a critical issue, with far-reaching implications for international relations and human rights.
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