Israeli, global intellectuals speak out against Gaza war

Honeycomb

Žižek kicked off his address at the fair in question by proclaiming that without books, "there is no solution to the terrifying Gaza war."

While condemning the attacks launched by Hamas, Žižek passionately defended everyone's right to analyse, at the very least, the underlying causes of the conflict without being accused of justifying the attacks or supporting Hamas.

He pointed out that this type of prohibition belongs to the "honeycomb" society, which he described as one of the most totalitarian societies one can envision.

Žižek criticised the notion of denying Palestinians the right to voice and articulate the full extent of the injustices they've faced, including the looting of their land and their deprivation of basic human rights.

He also expressed his bewilderment that most of the speeches made before his at the opening ceremony focused solely on Israel and Hamas, with no mention whatsoever of Palestinians as a people.

Drawing a poignant comparison, Žižek juxtaposed the words of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh ("Get out; there is no place for you here") and those of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ("Israel is not a state of all its citizens, but only of the Jewish people").

Palestinians are treated as a problem, he added. "Who are they? Which is the land they live in – Occupied Territories, West Bank, Judea, and Samaria, or the State of Palestine, which is currently recognised by 139 out of 193 UN member states?"

Žižek contended that past Israeli leaders were more sincere, transparent, and candid. He quoted an old speech by Moshe Dayan in the 1960s, who stated, in response to Palestinian attacks:

"Let us not blame the killers today. What claims do we have against their deadly hatred? They have been living in refugee camps in Gaza, while before their eyes we have been transforming the lands and villages where they grew up and where their ancestors lived into our estate."

For Žižek, it is inconceivable that any current Israeli official would express a similar sentiment.

Žižek also contrasted the broadening extremism within the Israeli government today to the focus on land-for-peace discussions and the two-state solution in previous decades, or even the pressure exerted by Israel's closest allies to refrain from building settlements in the West Bank.

Whereas today, he added, the Israeli Minister of National Security is Itamar Ben Gvir, who was labelled a terrorist by the Israeli government itself and barred from serving in the defence forces due to his extremist views.

Žižek concluded his address by quoting Israeli writer Yuval Harari: "Israel is on its way to becoming a dictatorship."

Fashionable victims

Žižek's remarks reflect an effort by several intellectuals worldwide to view recent events in Gaza through a different lens, unobscured by political propaganda and ideological claims.

Among those is Greek economist and former finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, who sent a recorded video to the Institute for Palestinian Studies expressing his solidarity with the Palestinian people.

"As I utter these words," Varoufakis said, "Palestine, and Gaza in particular, is being bombarded to smithereens. It is not the time to study the Palestinian issue; this is the time to defend the very existence of the Palestinians."

Varoufakis added that the culturally dominant West has distinguished between fashionable and unfashionable victims, asserting that, by this unjust standard, Ukrainian civilians are celebrated while Palestinian civilians are "bathed in insignificance".

In a compelling argument, Varoufakis urged those fixated solely on Hamas to "imagine the terror in Tel Aviv and Washington if every single Hamas fighter were to surrender." What would Americans and Israelis do then? "The answer is the West Bank," Varoufakis added, where Hamas is not dominant, yet there is still "ethnic cleansing galore [and] the eradication of any possibility of a two-state solution."

Concluding his recorded message, Varoufakis candidly summarised the current reality: "In the West and in the world at large, we are part of a war propaganda, the purpose of which is to justify fully the state of apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and the annihilation of the people of Palestine."

Literary voices from Israel

How do Israeli writers themselves perceive recent events?

In a talk with Deutsche Welle, Yishai Sarid (born in Tel Aviv in 1965), a lawyer and award-winning novelist known for advocating for a two-state solution, analysed the psyche of his people, including the external factors impacting their daily lives and internal factors shaping their mental state.

"The threat of war, the use of violence, the fear: It's a central part of our psychology, of our national and personal soul," he said. Sarid laid bare the wound, criticising the "huge failure" that is Netanyahu's military and political policy.

For her part, Israeli writer Lizzie Doron, who is not widely embraced by Israeli hotheads, still feels that Israel made a mistake by not opening up to its Palestinian "neighbours."

Speaking to Deutsche Welle, Doron condemned the Israeli government's policies and the influence of right-wing and ultra-Orthodox lobbies in the country, which undermined years-long efforts to overcome blocks in dialogue and find acceptable solutions.

Doron denounced the biblical concept of the "chosen people" that she sees at the core of the Jewish identity, emphasising the urgent need for more humanity. She advised her people and government, saying "We need to do our soul-searching in spite of the catastrophe."

In one of his famous short stories, Etgar Keret asked: "What's the point of making the dishes when the next rocket could hit us at any moment?"

The university professor, writer, director, producer, and luminary of contemporary Israeli literature had his books published in 25 languages worldwide.

In an interview with the French weekly magazine Le Point, Keret blamed the Israeli army and government for what Israel is experiencing today. "It would be foolish," he said, "to imagine that this government will accept any form of responsibility, and yet, they failed to prevent the 7 October massacres."

"Even the faintest of voices calling to hold them accountable are immediately considered dissenters – as if they were traitors to Israel," Keret continued, asserting that in such an extreme situation, "the role of art is frozen – and it's disheartening."

Acclaimed Israeli author David Grossman, winner of the Man Booker International Prize in 2017, did not mince his words in the Financial Times, slamming Netanyahu's "Ceaușescu-style dramas".

According to Grossman, the peace in pursuit of which Netanyahu attempted to leap over the heart of the conflict is "the peace of the wealthy".

Grossman envisioned post-war Israel as "much more right-wing, militant, and racist," adding: "The war forced on it will have cemented the most extreme, hateful stereotypes and prejudices that frame — and will continue to frame all the more robustly — Israeli identity."

Global outcry

In a remarkable cultural moment during the recent war, over 2,000 British filmmakers, artists, actors, curators, and playwrights penned an open letter on 17 October, denouncing the devastation in Gaza.

"We are witnessing a crime and a catastrophe," they stated. "Israel has reduced much of Gaza to rubble, and cut off the supply of water, power, food and medicine to 2.3 million Palestinians. In the words of the UN's undersecretary for humanitarian affairs, 'the spectre of death' is hanging over the territory."

In a collective effort to halt the ongoing tragedy, the letter continues:

"We support the global movement against the destruction of Gaza and the mass displacement of the Palestinian people. We demand that our governments end their military and political support for Israel's actions. We call for an immediate ceasefire and the opening of Gaza's crossings to allow humanitarian aid to enter unhindered."

Similarly, over 8,000 artists and cultural professionals signed another open letter on 20 October, cautioning against genocide in Gaza and urging an end to the hostilities.

These open letters encapsulate the anger of millions of individuals worldwide at the Zionist siege and ground offensive in Gaza, which is expected to cost tens of thousands of lives.

In a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), US-based Jewish organisation IfNotNow, which calls for a stop to America's support of the Israeli apartheid regime and advocates for equality, justice, and a thriving future for all, condemned the killing of innocent civilians.

"We absolutely condemn the killing of innocent civilians and mourn the loss of Palestinian and Israeli life, with numbers rising by the minute," the post reads.

"Their blood is on the hands of the Israeli government, the US government which funds and excuses their recklessness, and every international leader who continues to turn a blind eye to decades of Palestinian oppression, endangering both Palestinians and Israelis."

The organisation added: "Anyone who minimises or ignores this context will only continue to be surprised as more blood is shed."