By Jonathan Kuttab
Genocide is a well defined legal term defined by the Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide as any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:
(a) Killing members of the group;
(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
(c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part”
“Intent” is usually the most difficult part to prove, but in the case of Palestine, intent is clearly expressed in the blatant statements by Israeli leaders, calling Palestinians in Gaza “human animals,” referring to Palestinians as “Amalek” (the tribe God commanded King Saul to destroy in the Old Testament), and declaring that there exist “no innocent Palestinians in Gaza,” which must be destroyed.
Never before has there been a case where such a genocide is being committed and reported on in real time on a daily basis, along with an openly declared policy of cutting off their water, food, electricity, and fuel, and subjecting them to massive bombardment , after ordering them to move from their homes, (with no safe place to go to) and while over 50% of their buildings are destroyed. 1.9 million individuals out of a population of 2.3 million are currently displaced, the scenes of destruction are apocalyptic, with the destruction affecting all hospitals, schools, UN facilities, churches, mosques, bakeries, libraries, court houses, municipalities and universities, and all public and private structures. No place is safe.
The images of huge craters in the midst of apartment buildings, of crowds huddled around food distribution centers, and of children pulled out from under the rubble are now compounded by scenes of masses of individuals, clearly civilian, stripped down to their underwear being humiliated, trucked to unknown locations, and paraded for sport are all over the internet. Meanwhile, despite the killing of local journalists (89 as of this writing) and a prohibition on foreign journalists from entering, the world is fully informed of these atrocities as Israel continues its massive bombing of a defenseless population with no end in sight.
How do we explain, in the face of this overwhelming evidence of an ongoing genocide, that the world, including the church, is largely silent with only mild, tepid pronouncements of concern, and where those who dare even speak of a ceasefire, or de-escalation on humanitarian grounds, are themselves attacked, silenced, and ridiculed as naive supporters of terrorism?
One explanation, apart from the clear complicity of those in power, is the abuse of the concept of anti-semitism. The Western world indeed has much to repent from in its racism, discrimination, and hatred of Jews and Judaism throughout history. Yet recognition of that guilt and of the sin of anti-jewish antisemitism should not be used to justify, condone, or permit complicity when the state of Israel, long practicing apartheid and Jewish supremacy, turns to engage in genocidal practices against its enemies. Yet charges of antisemitism are being effectively weaponized against Palestinians who had nothing to do with that Western phenomenon.
A second explanation lies in the power of narrative. From Day One (October 7) a particular narrative has been promulgated by Israel and uniformly copied by the corporate media in this country which takes the events of that day out of their historical context, viewing them as an unprovoked attack on a peaceful Israel by a demonic evil force named Hamas. The evil is of such a nature that it needs to be eliminated and eradicated, and any and every action needed to achieve that just goal is legitimate, and in fact it is righteous. Viewed through this lens, the entire history of Israeli occupation, settlement policies, fascist government control, and the ongoing oppression of Palestinians is irrelevant. International law and the rules of warfare are also beside the point. Massive civilian casualties and even actions amounting to genocide, as indicated above, are but unfortunate “collateral damage” that, if noted at all, is to be laid at the door of the evil Hamas which “started” the whole mess.
This narrative has obtained acceptance across the board, and it is reflected by the corporate media from the right to the left. From Fox News to MSNBC and CNN. Any discussion of the issue begins, usually, with a demand to condemn Hamas and its barbarous actions on October 7 to confirm that you do indeed accept the established narrative. The uniformity of the narrative across all media (with the exception of social media) reminds one of a totalitarian regime, not a country which purportedly values a free press. Those who have tried to present a more nuanced approach as to what happened on October 7, what led to it, or what is happening now in Gaza are viciously attacked as terrorist sympathizers or, at the very best, as “useful idiots” who are being exploited by that same evil force, Hamas.
At FOSNA, we must ask whether in fact the churches and most Christians in the West have not also been taken in by this narrative, swallowing it hook line and sinker. That would explain why even the mildest calls for an immediate ceasefire are viewed as “controversial,” are difficult to make, and require so much “courage.” In times like these, it behooves the church to consider the situation based on its own principles and ethics and not to follow slavishly the prevailing narrative.
This is all the more true when the US government is directly implicated in the ongoing genocide and that American Christians, living in a democracy, have some measure of responsibility for American Government complicity in this ongoing genocide, which is taking place with American weapons, American money, and under an American diplomatic umbrella that protects Israel and grants it the ability to act with impunity without worrying about the United Nations, world opinion, international law, or indeed common human morality. What distinguishes Christians should be that we live according to a different ethic, and according to the values of the Kingdom of God. While the world may prioritize violence and military power, the church should be preaching a different ethic of love, peace and nonviolence. The failure of the church to lead in challenging the logic of genocide is a serious testament of the condition of the church toady.