ICYMI: Semantic battles of the oppressed.
ICYMI ~ 05
"Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I
can hear her breathing." Arundhati Roy
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about words. We all know that words matter, and they always track with power. Words disclose but also foreclose how we see.
There have always been battles over words. But the genocide in Palestine demands that we face the consequences of our own use of language to represent and reproduce our reality. While we may not have the power to stop the genocide or to force the Israelis to reform their refusal to live in peace with Palestinians and non-Jews, and while we can’t even stop our own government from supplying endless arms and endless lies to and for Israel, we do have the power of our words.
Today, the Arab world is mourning the loss of a respected leader, Dr. Ismail Haniyeh, a man that words made it impossible for us in the West to see. Labeled a “terrorist,” like all resistance fighters who do what is within their means for dignity and freedom, the framing “terrorist” is so damning and so permanent that it stops all inquiry. It makes people afraid to seek Haniyeh’s own words:
“The blood of my children is not more valuable than the blood of the children of the Palestinian people ... All the martyrs of Palestine are my children.”
Yet, the world outside the West would never describe Haniyeh as a “terrorist” for fighting for the freedom of his people. The word “terrorist” forecloses our opportunity to see the first and only elected Prime Minister of Palestine as a steadfast leader who continued peace negotiations directly after learning that Israel had murdered his children. Words being spoken today are so powerful that Instagram has been banned in Turkey because they removed words expressing condolences for the loss of Ismail Haniyeh. If you mention the word “Haniyeh” on any social media platform today, our government has ensured that you may be deplatformed.
The veil of censorship is subtle. The NYTimes has been exposed for restricting the use of the words “genocide,” “ethnic cleansing,” “refugee camps,” “occupied,” and even “Palestine,” thereby erasing the story of the oppressed. There is no way to see from the eyes of Palestinians living under occupation without using these important words.
The battle over words is on; we’re going to have to fight to retain the words necessary to tell the story of the oppressed. Here are some words to consider:
From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.
Is it ridiculous or horrifying that Palestinian Congressperson Rashida Tlaib was censured for uttering this aspirational phrase? This phrase has nothing to do with the immoral founding of the nation-state commonly referred to as Israel. This is a statement that actually suggests the liberation of all the people of historic Palestine. This includes the “Israelis” who may not be physically occupied but who are nonetheless occupied by a false belief in their entitlement to live in historic Palestine without Palestinians, with only Jews. This statement connects to the legal right of return for all refugees from all war zones across the world.
Israel/Palestine/Judea/Samaria/Greater Israel/the Zionist entity/Inside 48
What to call the area under discussion? The far-right Israelis want to call it Judea and Samaria. Netanyahu himself has recently proposed the entire region in conflict as “Greater Israel” at the United Nations. Palestinians often refer to themselves as living “inside 48.” The resistance refers to “Israel” as the Zionist entity. The words that describe the region are rightfully contested, and we need to stop referring to “Israel” as “Israel” until the genocide and occupation end. We need to reject references to Palestine as Judea and Samaria. The words rob the land.
Zionism is racism.
This is now verboten. But what could be more accurate? Zionism is the belief in the right for a Jewish-only state to exist in Palestine. It claims that a legitimate democracy can be based on apartheid and the ethnic cleansing of brown, Arab people. It is an ideology that rose because the white western eye could not see Palestinians. The verbal erasure happened before the physical erasure: “a land without a people for a people without a land.” The annihilation was purely possible due to the way that brown skin renders invisibility. Seventy-five years of struggle against ethnic cleansing and genocide has largely been about the struggle to become visible through the power of words.
Hamas are terrorists.
Most people are not aware that Hamas is not considered terrorists by the UN. They have been lumped in with ISIS and al Qaeda in the western mind, but are completely different. The UN considers Hamas to be a social justice movement. The claim is that they want to eliminate Jews, but in fact, their own charter states that they seek to eliminate the Jewish-only Zionist state.
Civilian.
If the people of Gaza are not civilians because they voted for Hamas, then how are the people living on stolen land, dancing all night at raves adjacent to the open-air prison of Gaza, living in the houses where the rightful owners still have the keys—how are these people civilians? Are human shields still civilians? If the entire society is military, who are the civilians? The idea of a “civilian” is only about who has power.
Prisoner or Hostage.
If a hostage is someone held with the goal of a demand, why are the Palestinians illegally held against their will without charge or cause called prisoners? People are not “detained” when they are held against their will without cause. The use of this euphemism should be an insult to all thinking people.
Nazi/Holocaust
The Zionists are now actively being described as Nazis and the genocide as a holocaust, effectively removing those terms from use specific to Jews and expanding their meaning. “Zionazi” is now a new word being used to help the world see through the eyes of the Palestinians.
Our speech on Palestine is likely to face increasing legal restrictions under the argument that criticizing Zionism equates to antisemitism. Some proponents of this view argue that since certain interpretations of Judaism propose that God gave the land to the Jews, opposing this claim is antisemitic. They contend that Zionism cannot be a form of racism because it represents the right of Jews to self-determination. Furthermore, they argue that Jews have historical ties to the land, despite the fact that demographics and ethnic features have changed.
Words are powerful tools that shape our perception of reality. They carry the weight of history, culture, and politics. The semantic battle over Palestine is a testament to the immense power of language in framing narratives and controlling perceptions. To see the oppressed, to hear their voices, and to understand their struggle, we must fight for the words that tell their story. The words we use can either obscure the truth or illuminate it. In this battle, retaining the right words is not just about accuracy; it’s about justice and humanity. As we engage in this semantic struggle, we must remember that words are our weapons against oppression, and we must wield them wisely and courageously.
Highlighted articles and resources for the week:
New York to West Bank: Americans sold the dream of settler homes as Gaza war rages
“Many of the Zionists in Lawrence said they “feel for Palestinians”, with some adding that “Jews are the Muslims' brothers”.
For them, Israel is not to blame for any Palestinian suffering, including the more than 31,800 people that Gaza health officials say Israeli forces have killed in the enclave since October 7.
I would love to start a new organisation that's called PRO, the Palestinian Relocation Organisation
Stuart Honickman, at real estate event encouraging Jewish Americans to purchase land in Israel and the West Bank
“Palestinians should want to live in peace with us, and we give a lot of jobs to the Palestinians. And I think that Hamas is the real people to blame for this because they're causing a lot of hatred,” Mr Elefant said.
Mr Honickman added that he wants Palestinians to “have a beautiful life”, but his vision for what that means includes their displacement.
“I would love to start a new organisation that's called PRO – the Palestinian Relocation Organisation, and really cater to what their needs are … if you can't have a security partner, then you have a problem. I wouldn't have a thug living in my basement.”
For Ms Stein, that worldview is a dangerous one.
“Anything short of genocide is going to require recognition that Palestinians have a right to this land, have a connection to the land, that you cannot destroy, that you cannot kill,” she said.”
The Constitution and the American Left
“The U.S. Constitution is profoundly undemocratic, as generations of abolitionists, socialists, labor activists, and Black radicals have loudly proclaimed. Just as it did a hundred years ago, the document creates an infrastructure for minority rule—a specific and very American brand of white authoritarianism. This is because the Constitution organizes representation around states rather than the principle of one person, one vote. And it fragments and undermines popular authority through endless veto points. The consequences today are numerous: presidents elected who lose the popular vote; a Senate that gives vastly more power to voters in Wyoming than in California; an impassible route for constitutional amendments; a tiny, lifetime-appointed Supreme Court that repudiates popular policies, including the right to abortion, and elevates the president above the law—abetting a culture of impunity.”
~ Dissent
Artificial intelligence isn’t a good argument for basic income
“The study, held from November 2020 through October 2023, gave 1,000 recipients $1,000 per month, no strings attached. It’s one of the biggest and longest trials ever run on direct cash giving. Many other basic income pilots have given people $500 or less, and rarely for more than a year or two.
While the study was run by a group of academics, it was set in motion by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. For years, Altman has been publicly worrying that basic income will become necessary as AI eliminates traditional jobs while creating huge stockpiles of wealth held by a few. “If public policy doesn’t adapt accordingly, most people will end up worse off than they are today,” he wrote in 2021.”
~ Vox
I agree with Marianne that we need to tell people that we not only do not condemn Hamas, but that we support Hamas. The only reason this support seems wrongheaded is that the majority in the west are woefully misinformed and happily racist. The sad reality is that too many people lack curiosity and too afraid of losing daily comforts to look clearly at reality. I highly recommend reading this exceptional article:
“To kill the children and grandchildren of your opponent is so low that it’s beyond comprehension. And still – there is no outrage in any Western press. That may be because our image of Hamas is so totally shaped by Israel, and also, that we don’t know who Ismail Haniyeh is. He is the only Prime Minister of Palestine elected by the people, in the only election Israel has ever permitted.”
“Abdul, whose real name is Abdulrahman Al-Shantti, is only 15. As the eldest of five, his upbringing in Gaza was defined by looking after his siblings while navigating life under Israeli occupation. By his thirteenth birthday, he had lived through four major bombardments on his homeland.”
📚Germany Threatens Ali Abunimah from Electronic Intifada with prison for pro-Palestinian speech.
“The Electronic Intifada’s Ali Abunimah was issued with a legal order by the German government banning him from giving this speech via Zoom to the Palestine Conference in Exile, organized by supporters of Palestinian rights in Germany on 25-26 July 2024. The order threatened Abunimah with fines and up to one year in prison for participating in the conference. He did so anyway.”
Uncommitted Movement Demands DNC Speech for Doctor Who Volunteered in Gaza
“So many Palestinian children have lost their entire families to Israeli attacks that English-speaking medical volunteers in Gaza have coined a new acronym to describe them: WCNSF, or wounded child, no surviving family.”
Other links & resources:
Netanyahu’s willing executioners: how ordinary Israelis became mass murderers
New York law aims to stop funding of illegal Israeli settlements in West Bank
"Insulting Black Women": Kimberlé Crenshaw on the Racist, Sexist GOP Campaign Against Kamala Harris
20 Years of Struggle: Renewing our commitment to liberation for the Holy Land 5
The Assassination of Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh Will Only Embolden Resistance
Excellent point, to redefine the language to convey the reality one is experiencing, and great examples. I heard Naledi Pandor challenge an assertion at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace that Iran was an authoritarian state. She said we should not let definitions close us out from talk that could advance the protection of civilians at the UN.