Discussion on Orientalism - Why the West supports Israel's Genocide
Hi everyone,
I am an Australian Palestinian lawyer. Over the past year I have asked myself a question we have all been thinking. Why does the West support Israel's genocide?
To answer this question, I undertook some research in international law, politics, and relations. My research has led me to the conclusion which is outlined in the linked video which I have created: The West supports Israel's actions, which are genocidal toward Palestinians, because of an Orientalist worldview that sees Israel as part of a Western civilisational struggle against a "backward" Middle East. The West does not support Israel for strategic or liberal reasons, as often claimed by Western media, politicians, defence officials, and some academics.
I will summarise the arguments made in my video presentation (which is one of two parts). Since the late 19th century when modern Zionism was founded as a European colonial movement, European States such as Britain and France have directly supported Zionist colonial ambitions, leading to the Nakba in 1948. The reason for this was because Western powers wanted to 'dominate' the Middle East. It was not about strategic interests, but cultural domination, because the East was viewed as 'inferior' by the West. This mindset continued beyond the establishment of the illegal entity Israel. When the US assumed its position as the sole global superpower, it continued to support Israel, not for strategic or liberal reasons, but to continue 'culturally dominating' the East. The evidence for this is in the many statements made by US Presidents, ranging from Roosevelt to Biden. For example, George H.W. Bush states in 1989:
The friendship, the alliance between the United States and Israel is strong and solid -- built upon a foundation of shared democratic values, of shared history and heritage that sustain the moral life of our two countries. The emotional bond of our peoples goes -- it transcends politics. Our strategic cooperation -- and I renewed today our determination that that go forward -- is a source of mutual security. And the United States’ commitment to the security of Israel remains unshakable. We may differ over some policies from time to time, individual policies, but never over this principal.
George H.W. Bush emphasises that the relationship is a 'moral' relationship, that 'transcends' politics. What he means is the US supports Israel because it shares the same 'moral values' i.e. domination of the East by the 'superior' West. There are many other quotes included in my video presentation which help demonstrate this mindset consistently across different US administrations over the past 75+ years. However, the support for Israel is not just evidenced by statements, but by material political, military, and financial support which Israel receives from the West.
This significant political, military, and financial support which Israel receives is not because of any specific strategic, political, liberal, or economic reason. These arguments can be easily disproven, as shown in part 2 of my video presentation. In summary, the West cannot claim to support Israel for liberal reasons, when Israel engages in apartheid, occupation, ethnic cleansing, genocide, and ignores international law and organisations like the UN. That is antithetical to liberalism. Secondly, the West cannot claim to support Israel for strategic reasons, when Israel is a strategic burden, not an asset. The evidence for this is obvious, Israel receives financial and military support from the West, but provides nothing in return. Israel has kept the US anchored in the Middle East, and the US has had to directly defend Israel twice this year from Iranian missiles. If Israel really was a strong strategic partner, it would not need any help to defend it self (because it is weak). Instead the opposite would be true, Israel would help defend the US rather than leave it strategically vulnerable.
By demonstrating that the West does not support Israel for liberal or strategic reasons, this reinforces the central claim: the West supports Israel because of an Orientalist worldview that sees Israel as part of a Western civilisational struggle against a "backward" Middle East.
The implications of this are very important, appealing to liberal values such as ‘human rights’, ‘democracy’, ‘freedom’, ‘international law’ will not work. That is why the global protest movement has not been able to change the Western position on Israel. Additionally, appealing to strategic sentiments such as ‘loss of power’, ‘diplomatic price’, ‘economic instability’, ‘strategic risks’, ‘expanding conflict’ will also not work, because despite all these things occurring for decades, and for more than 12 months since the Genocide in Gaza (e.g. Houthi blockade on Red Sea), it has not been enough to convince the West to change course.
Accordingly, the only option is to support an ideological revolution in the West. Once more and more people become convinced that supporting Israel is not in the West’s strategic interest, does not align with liberal values, and is due to a racist and outdated Orientalist worldview, then it becomes possible to challenge the pre-existing cultural structures, and produce new ‘knowledge’. The West can begin to reimagine its role in the world, based on equality and freedom, not Orientalism and domination. With this new ‘knowledge’ Israel will become exposed, and justice for the Palestinians will finally be achieved. If this does not occur, the West will ultimately see its own downfall.
Please watch the video for a more detailed analysis, and discuss this topic in this thread. I would love to hear your opinions and feedback. In my video presentation, I cite the below sources which are amazing resources to enhance your understanding of this topic:
1. Justin McCarthy, The Population of Palestine, 1990, Columbia University Press
2. Ilan Pappé, The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine, Oneworld Publications, 2006
3. United Nations Special Committee on Palestine Report, 1947
4. Rashid Khalidi, The Iron Cage: The Story of the Palestinian Struggle for Statehood, Beacon Press, 2006
5. International Court of Justice, Advisory Opinion on Palestine, 19 July 2024
6. UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, 1948
7. Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel)
9. M Lippman, The Drafting and Development of the 1948 Convention on Genocide and the Politics of International Law, The Genocide Convention The Legacy of 60 Year
8. D. Moses, The Problems of Genocide, Cambridge University Press, 2021
10. Edward Said, Orientalism, 1978
11. John Mearsheimer, The Israel Lobby, 2007
12. Heywood, Andrew (1994) Political Ideas and Concepts: An Introduction