Holier
Than Thou
Holier
than thou
You
are
Holier
than thou
You
are
You
know not
1) A great deal
has unfolded recently, prompting reflections on the words of Lenin: “There are
decades where nothing happens, and there are weeks where decades happen.” The
course of history moves forward amidst geopolitical struggles, wars, and
ecological crises. But the focal point of discussions today revolves around the
Gaza War, a complex issue deeply rooted in history. While a comprehensive
exploration of the historical context is essential, my primary aim is to bring
political clarity and express solidarity for Palestinian cause, particularly
starting with the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023.
First and
foremost, I unequivocally condemn the Hamas attacks on civilians that occurred
on October 7. Such attacks on civilians warrant condemnation from all quarters.
Simultaneously, I condemn Israel’s retaliation, which resulted in the tragic
loss of innocent lives. It is evident that the Israeli government's actions
have played a role in escalating the violence, a reality that cannot be
ignored. But it is imperative that we condemn the Hamas attack before relativizing it. Additionally, the apparent hypocrisy in
the way Western media covers these incidents should also be underscored.
Here is an example of a principled stand in
this issue by none other than the Secretary General of the UN, Antonio Guterres
(to the Security Council on October 24, 2023):
It is important to also recognize the attacks by Hamas
did not happen in a vacuum. The Palestinian people have been subjected to 56
years of suffocating occupation. They have seen their land steadily devoured by
settlements and plagued by violence; their economy stifled; their people
displaced, and their homes demolished. Their hopes for a political solution to
their plight have been vanishing. But the grievances of the Palestinian people
cannot justify the appalling attacks by Hamas.
And those appalling attacks cannot justify the collective punishment of
the Palestinian people.
This
statement affords the genuine political clarity that has been absent in the
remarks of numerous others. The enduring suffering of the Palestinian people over
decades, coupled with Western support for Israeli occupation, is undeniably
frustrating. However, it is crucial not to lose
sight of the overarching political goal—Palestinian statehood. While it may be
tempting to offer unqualified moral support to Hamas, it is imperative to
distinguish between the group's objectives and the aspirations of the
Palestinian people.
Another example is the political clarity imputed to the speech made by Slavoj
Žižek at the opening ceremony of the Frankfurt book fair. He draws attention to
the unsettling similarity between the statements of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh
and Israel’s government, emphasizing the need to navigate a nuanced position
that defends Palestinian rights while combating antisemitism.
Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas who lives
comfortably in Dubai, said on the day of attack: “We have only one thing to say
to you: get out of our land. Get out of our sight … This land is ours, al-Quds
[Jerusalem] is ours, everything [here] is ours … There is no place or safety
for you.” Clear and disgusting – but did the Israeli government not say
something similar, although not in such a brutal way? Here is the first of the
official “basic principles” of Israel’s present government: “The Jewish people have
an exclusive and inalienable right to all parts of the Land of Israel. The
government will promote and develop the settlement of all parts of the Land of
Israel — in the Galilee, the Negev, the Golan and Judea and Samaria.” Or, as
Netanyahu stated, “Israel is not a state of all its citizens” but “of the
Jewish people – and only it.
Here Žižek
reorients the standard leftist position from justifying Hamas to establishing
similarities between Hamas and the Zionists in power. He says “one should go
to the end in BOTH directions, in the defense of the Palestinian rights as well
as in fighting anti-Semitism. The two fights are two moments of the same fight
/…/ Those who think there is a ‘contradiction’ in this stance of mine suffer a
total moral disorientation.”
The true
tragedy arises from the realization that both Zionists and Hamas seem
entrenched in a path of mutual annihilation. This brings us back to the core
issue—the Palestinian Question. The current political stalemate serves the
interests of Western and Arab powers, underscoring the need to reevaluate the
perceived lost cause of Palestinian Statehood. Once again, Žižek places himself
as the defender of lost causes here. Is the Palestinian State truly a lost
cause now? That is the political question that needs to be answered right now.
2) The
Palestinian issue has also resonated in Indian and specifically Kerala's
political landscape. While Kerala has already witnessed a massive rally by IUML
in solidarity with the Palestinians, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has
expressed solidarity in a somewhat convoluted manner. Varying opinions on Hamas
exist within the party, with some members referring to Hamas as “terrorists”. But
it is now assumed that the official party stance is to categorize Hamas
fighters as freedom fighters, as explicitly stated by the Chief Minister in his
speech at the CPIM rally.
Moreover, the most 'Stalinist' position in Palestine was taken by M Swaraj, who went on to say that Hamas is justified in carrying out attacks, i.e., we don’t have the right to blame them for their violent actions. Going back to Žižek, “In Lacanian terms, obscene violence is the surplus-enjoyment we gain as a reward for our subordination to an ideological edifice, for the sacrifices and renunciations this edifice demands from us.” And the true tragedy is that Swaraj tried to relativize the incident with an instance from a novella. How juvenile and inappropriate!
This is no unusual perversion for CPIM. A recent article by MN Karassery in Mathrubhumi elucidates the insincerity behind CPIM’s endorsement of this reprehensible violence. The political ramifications of CPIM's stance on Palestine appear to be a calculated move in the front politics of Kerala. Even the rally organized by CPIM in support of Palestine seems aimed at inducing a defection by the IUML from the INC-led UDF. This argument gains credibility when one recalls the silence of firebrand communists during the targeting of Uyghur Muslims in China. There were no statements of solidarity from CPIM at that time. The prevailing narrative then among communists on social media was that the Uyghur issue was a byproduct of Western propaganda. This reveals the selective concern CPIM has for Muslim minorities.
The moral depravity of the those who support the Hamas attack is shocking. Their whole perspective of justifying the Hamas attack is undergirded by the ‘holier-than-thou’ moral certitude. However, reality persists that the moral high ground they assert is tainted, lacking both political and moral foundations. As Žižek notes: “The truly horrible thing is that the area east of Gaza where Hamas went on a murderous spree was mostly populated by Jews who advocated peaceful coexistence with Palestinians, some of them even engaged in helping those who suffered in Gaza.”
In Conclusion, the real tragedy lies in the exploitation of the Palestinian issue by both the Arab world and other countries to advance their agendas. This manipulation contributes to the prolonged absence of a solution to the Palestinian question. The challenge lies in disentangling the genuine pursuit of Palestinian statehood from the political maneuvering that has complicated this longstanding conflict.
Sources:
1)
https://thephilosophicalsalon.com/saying-keeping-silent-and-showing-notes-on-a-scandal-in-frankfurt/.
3)
https://youtu.be/j8pwQ4uUxoQ?si=mFotcP3F9upHaRZk.
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