My Interview with TRT World (Türkiye)
On 7th October 2024, the one-year anniversary of the current phase of Israel’s settler-colonial genocide against the Palestinian people
I was interviewed yesterday on TRT World, as part of a special coverage on the anniversary of the 7th of October 2023. TRT World and Al Jazeera are the only news channels (to the best of my knowledge) that report the truth about Israel’s settler-colonialism, and that see and show Israels’ actions for what they are. They are the only channels that demonstrate empathy, and concern for the Palestinians people, and do not act as mouth-pieces for Israel.
As I say at the end of this short interview, any media outlet that repeats the myth of symmetry between a settler-coloniser and its victim, are aiding and abetting a settler-colonial genocide. In addition to violating International Law, supporters of Israel act immorally, and inhumanely. They are also intellectually dishonest, not to mention cowardly.
‘Balance’ is appropriate when two sides of a conflict are equal in power. Where there is abuse in the context of imbalance of power, there is only side any decent human being can choose — the side of the victim. There is no balance in domestic abuse. There is no balance in child abuse. There is no balance in settler-colonialism and genocide.
Perpetrators cannot see themselves. If they could they would not perpetrate. You cannot reason with a perpetrator, bargain with them, or placate them, or expect them to do the right thing. We have to stand up to perpetrators, protect their victims, and dismantle the power structure that enables them to dominate. This is the principle we follow in relationship therapy, in cases where there is domestic abuse for example, and one side is more powerful than the other. All well-trained relationship therapists follow this obvious rule.
If I sound angry in the interview, it is because I am. When those who have the power to stop the carnage are siding with the perpetrator, it is right and proper to feel anger, and express it. There are times when being ‘nice’ is not the right way to be. When perpetrators become upset or insist on their ‘hurt feelings’ it is just their way of trying to continue to take the centre of attention and deflect support from their victims. Part of our activism for Palestine is to ignore Israel’s attempts to make itself the focus. I am disgusted by the UK media’s reporting on 7th of October as if it was a tragedy that befell Israel. Israel’s tragedy is its single minded obsession with its settler-colonial project and sense of entitlement. Israel’s tragedy is self-inflicted. Israel could choose to stop its own suffering right now, by giving up on their crazy fantasy of having a ‘racially pure’ ghetto at the expense of another people. It is OK to feel sadness, pity, compassion for perpetrators. They are not proper human beings, so it is appropriate to feel sorry for them. But it does not mean letting them get away with what they do, or abandoning their victims. Perpetrators are as dangerous, as they are miserable, and bereft of what makes us human.
Israel’s supporters are on the wrong side of history. They owe the Palestinians, and the rest of us an explanation for their choice to continue to support Israel. Those of us who stand shoulder to shoulder with the Palestinian people, Israel’s victims, have nothing to explain or justify.
I hope what I say in this interview (or in any of my essays) offers some support, validation, and encouragement to those whose hearts and ethics are in the right place, but who might feel a bit unsure of themselves.
Supporting the Palestinian people is the right thing, indeed the only thing a decent human being can, and must do in the circumstances.
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“Supporting the Palestinian people is the right thing, indeed the only thing a decent human being can, and must do in the circumstances.”
Indeed!
I remember a song from back in the day, never more appropriate than now, “Which side are you on?” Unfortunately, many of the people I sang that with were on the right side of the Vietnam war, and in the wrong side of this issue. I had demonstrators say things to me about “Arabs” that sounded as racist as what the warmonger’s were saying about the Vietnamese.
I believe there are fewer people now who claim to be for peace, but still make an exception for Palestine. We can hope.
Thank you for your heartfelt remarks.
It would have been nice if the public stopped differentiating between "Israel" and the larger Anglo-American Empire. The truth is that there is a 4-Headed International mafia (Finance, Technology, Politics and Academia) working together as ONE. Yes, "Israel" is doing (for now) the physical killing but it has always been just the 'mad dog' of a cold and calculated imperial business. I suspect the Turkish interviewer was not entirely happy to go there, as he avoided your remarks on the total support from western powers (as they usually avoid it). "Israel" is not a standalone lunatic regime but ONE industrial int'l mafia. I don't think “America is backing Israel” - "America" IS "Israel". The fact they have two different names is not important, it is the same criminal group. Saying this is in no way trying to diminish the crimes done by "Israel" or to remove responsibility from "Israel". Somehow, I don't see the "West" ever denouncing Israel for what it really is, and the reason is that it can't denounce itself... As Harold Pinter was saying: "The crimes of the west never happened. Even while they were happening the didn't happen"... Starmer, Biden, Blair (and all the rest) hands are as red as the criminals from "Israel". They should ALL be sitting in the Hague because they are running the same operation/project together. Aren't they?