Saturday Note: Erasing the Palestinians

Biden Statement Endorses Assassinations, Ignores Gazans

Joe Biden issued a statement today, in response to Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Biden, who campaigned in 2020 against capital punishment but did nothing to abolish the death penalty,  called the Nasrallah killing “a measure of justice for his many victims,” and then added,

“It is time for these deals to close, for the threats to Israel to be removed, and for the broader Middle East region to gain stability.”

Note the word choice: “threats to Israel,” “broader Middle East region.” Note who is missing: Palestinians, a population who has lived under a sustained assault for nearly a year and occupation for decades.

Biden’s statement, in a nutshell, sums up how the great powers view the world. Palestinians — and others who have been pushed to the margins, are meant to remain invisible. When they are forced into view — by war or environmental calamity — the are treated as potential threats, called animals, vermin,poison.

Both U.S. political parties are complicit (though Democrats are more polite), and so is much of the international community.

Aside from the erasure here of Palestinians, there is Biden’s endorsement of military assassination, or assassination by favored governments of those in disfavor. The assumption is that we can keep the real threat from others because of the tenuous justifications we rely on.

These questions are not likely to get airtime, but the deserve widespread discussion from those more qualified than me to explain the law.

Instead, expect triumphalism from Israeli officials and much of the West.

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I’ll have an essay up tomorrow that tries to incorporate my reading of the region’s history it is for paid subscribers.