Americans are being urged to go colonialist and support the 'civilised man' against the 'savage'. Yet there are international laws against colonialist agression; not that the law has ever stopped Israel!
Ride the metro in New York or Washington DC and you are likely to see a poster that reads:
'In any war between the civilised man and the savage, support the civilised man!
Support Israel. Defeat Jihad'.
The poster has been put up by the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI), led by Pam Geller and approved by the U.S. Supreme Court.
What is civilised? The nation that has military superiority? The nation that uses military weapons to attack civilians? Having bigger bombs and a more organised army does not make for a 'civilised man'.
What is a savage? The American Indian? The Australian aborigine? Each of these had rich cultures and had developed law, language, art, hunting, marriage rites, religion, war and defence. They were no more savage, than their colonisers. In fact, their colonisers were brutal and had no concept of humanity as they dehumanised the indian, the aborigine.
Of course, the poster is referring to any nation that stands up to Israel as being the 'savage'.
Some Palestinians have been known to use throw rocks at Israeli settlers and soldiers. Some Palestinians have fired, wildly inaccurate home-made rockets at Israelis. The weapons may certainly be more primitive than what the Israelis use, but does that make the Palestinians savages? Israel responds by using jet fighters and military helicopters, killing thousands of Palestinians. Israel uses military grade weapons on civilian populations. Does that mean they are not savages? Use of better technology does not make a nation 'civilised'. Israel is far more brutal than the Palestinians have ever been. Palestinian terrorism has been a direct response to the genocidal actions of Israel as it continues to de-Arabise the area by ethnic cleansing and constructing illegal settlements. Israel sees all Palestinians as criminals, terrorists and obviously, savages.
The poster is no doubt also referring to Iran as the savage. Israel has been beating the drums of war over Iran, wanting to wage a pre-emptive strike in the name of 'self-defence'. Using the same logic, Iran would have grounds to wage a pre-emptive strike on Israel in order to defend themselves. Israel is concerned that Iran is manufacturing nuclear weapons. Yet Israel has flouted international law and developed nuclear weapons. So who is the savage?
The poster exemplifies colonialism and typifies the attitude of Israel towards Palestinians.
Israel was created and colonised by Europeans during the 20th century. And of course, over the last few centuries it was the Europeans who colonised the world at the point of a gun and cannon, who slaughtered those who dare opposed their 'right to rule' mentality.
Israel literally stole land from the Palestinians. The UN established borders in 1948, yet even before the resolution was passed, Israel was invading land outside of those borders. The following maps graphically illustrate the illegal land grab by Israel. These aren't just colours on a map, the reduction of green areas represents the loss of thousands of Palestinians lives and destruction of Palestinian culture and society. This is a graphic depiction of the ethnic cleansing that Israel has been undertaking since at least the 1940s.
The real savage is not one who does not have such a sophisticated social construct as another. The real savage is the one who destroys another's social construct. That is what European colonisation did in throughout the Americas, it is what happened in Australia, it happened in India and throughout the Middle East. It is continuing now in the Palestinian territories, as Israel blockades and prevents Palestinians from accessing their own lands, accessing clean water, accessing hospitals and schools, accessing their workplaces. It prevents them from establishing their own effective government. It is not the Palestinians who want to destroy Israel, it is Israel who wants to destroy Palestine, and in fact, IS destroying Palestine.
The AFDI posters take this a step further by stating 'Defeat Jihad'. Jihad is generally interpreted in the West to mean 'holy war' waged by Muslims. Yet who is waging the holy war? Israel is the one who claims that the land was given to them by God, and it is this belief that underpins their 'right to rule' mentality. Israel started the war and continues the war, in the name of God. The Palestinians are not waging this in the name of God, they are fighting in the name of self-defence for their lives, livelihoods and long history in this land.
The AFDI took their fight to the U.S. Supreme Court in order to display the posters. Would the Supreme Court have also granted approval if the posters were pro-Palestinian and pro-War! Imagine if the posters read:
'In any war between the native and the coloniser, support the native'.
The posters make bold assumptions about what is a civilised man. Yet, war between 'civilised' man and the savage has usually been waged because the civilised man has invaded the territory of the 'savage'. These wars have been perpetrated by the civilised man who has raped, persecuted and murdered the 'savage' during these invasions. According to the AFDI posters, this is good and should always be supported.
Ethnic cleansing, genocide and military assaults against civilians are illegal and should never be supported.
In the war between the civilised man and the savage, take the side of the savage. They are the ones whose existence is being threatened.
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