Intended Consequences

Apparently my family back east has been arguing into the night about Israel and Gaza, and I’ll get to the actual point in a minute but I just need to say that this goes in the column against moving out there someday and losing all my independence (you know, the thought that gives me vague and uncomfortable ideations), because holy hell would I not need that environment in my life, in my home.

Anyway, you can read the thing yourself but I just wanted to weigh in on one particular thing that my mother writes at the very end:

The destruction of Gaza would mean the virtual annihilation of the Palestinians who live there, which would mean an unintended “ethnic cleansing”.

There is nothing at this point, if indeed there was at any point, that suggests the ethnic cleaning in any way whatsoever is unintended. Rather, Israel made the choice that the ethnic cleansing was warranted in order to defend itself. They can’t excuse, and we can’t excuse on their behalf, that decision.

Conveniently using as a distraction the stupefying fog of the United States election, Israel literally just effectively informed the world that they’ve seized northern Gaza and Palestinians will not be allowed to return. When Russia does it to Ukraine it’s illegal territorial expansion, but when the Israel does it, it’s… what?

Resettling or permanently reoccupying Gaza is not official Israeli policy, but senior Israeli defence officials recently told the Israeli daily Haaretz that with no other alternatives on the table, the government is aiming to annex large parts of the territory.

It’s not official, which really is to say the ends justify their “unofficial” means, so pay no attention to the ethnic cleanser behind the curtain.

(To say nothing of that fact that when the plan surfaced a month ago, Israel basically denied it and oh, also, can you not talk about this plan because we aren’t supposed to be talking about this plan. Remind me, again, why anyone should take “official” word from Israel at face or really any other kind of value?)

No, wait, it’s actually all illegal and has been since even before this latest de facto annexation. The entire reason we even have international laws against this sort of thing to begin with is to remind nations that the ends in fact do not justify the means, and you can’t cleanse an entire population in order to defend yourself.

Argue, if you absolutely must, that it is necessary. Do not, under any kind of circumstances whatsoever, allow yourself to argue that it’s unintended. It is prayer made flesh, by deliberation and choice.