Dehumanising of Palestinians

[dreamingdays]

The persistent dehumanising of Palestinian civilians is everywhere, including here on MN and across social media, the news and more.

From branding all civilians including babies and young children as terrorists, to people saying innocent children sent to jail as deserving it, posts smearing all Palestinians with celebrating terrorist atrocities, others celebrating the death of young children (yes really), to politicians branding them “children of darkness”. To Palestinian men all lumped as Hamas or rapists. Palestinians called human animals or worse.

To the language used to describe Palestinians in the news is completely different, often using double standards. I also feel that leeway and downplaying is given towards people being racist towards Palestinians. It is brushed off or ignored or denied, not always taken seriously.

Maltreatment of Palestinian civilians is also ignored or excused or waved away and minimised, outright denied or ignored by many.

it just really gets me down. Please everyone, remember Palestinians are human beings. They have families, jobs, culture, skills, likes and dislikes, empathy and humanity.

if you see anyone displaying or downplaying racist attitudes, or making offensive dehumanising remarks please call them out. Please also take time to recognise and challenge dehumanising language used in the media and elsewhere.

On a broader level this dehumanising emboldens those undertaking their mistreatment, excuses and justifies illegal violence made towards them, as well as affecting each Palestinian on an individual level.

The same obviously goes for anyone using dehumanising language to anyone, whatever their nationality or religion.

Palestinians need support now.

Biden has said he wants Israel to “be focused on how to save civilian lives” in Gaza. He said that meant “not stop going after Hamas, but to be more careful”

Stop murdering civilians would have been more accurate than save civilian lives. Blatant and basic framing of words to minimise the situation. Perhaps he think his audience is as dumb as Israel’s bombing campaign.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-67600015

"Under international law, administrative detention should be a rare exception," said Jessica Montell, the executive director of HaMoked, an Israeli human rights organisation that monitors detention of Palestinians.
"You are supposed to use it when there is a present danger and no other way to prevent that danger than detaining someone. But it is clear Israel is not using it that way. It is detaining hundreds, thousands of people, without charge, and using administrative detention to shield itself from scrutiny."

This has really shocked me.

Yes internment is shocking.

The British used it in Northern Ireland in the early 70s and recruitment to the IRA and INLA increased hugely as a direct result. So did political instability and sectarian violence.

UNRWA chief: 'What continues to shock me is the ever increasing level of dehumanization' of Gaza
He said:
“The fact that people can laugh, cheer and mock any type of wrongdoing that we observe in this war, when in fact what is happening in Gaza should outrage anyone, should make us all rethink our values… This is also a make or break moment for all of us and for our shared humanity.”

Statement said today and unfortunately something I am seeing more and more of.
The value of Palestinian lives and their suffering is often minimised sadly

@Parkingt111 it is so sad. Link to a video of his speech saying it:

https://twitter.com/UN_News_Centre/status/1735664003668729981

Honestly, at this point I am just generally getting disillusioned with my fellow humans!

One week of "non-stop pre-Christmas dinners & drinks" (both professional and personal) in a row, and I have heard all of the following - not on the Internet, not on social media, but from people I might not be close with but do know IRL:

• Insanely racist statements about how Israel needs to be finished off "because jews" and [insert a plethora of antisemitic tropes] - no, not from Palestinians or even other Arabs or Muslims, just your bog-standard Brits or other Western Europeans

• Equally as insanely racist shit about Palestinians or "Arabs" - including some vile stuff that was arguably meant to be "nice" to me in that it painted me as some sort of a feminist icon for "overcoming" my marriage to a Palestinian man

• Some truly ghastly racist statements about Asians - specifically Indians - made within the context of "just business talk"

• Someone I used to be close friends with voicing opinions about Eastern Europeans that, frankly, made my blood boil

• From fellow women: "scraping the bottom of the barrel" levels of internalised misogyny

... long story short: after a week that should have been one of happiness and laughter and getting together with new friends and old, I feel pretty hopeless and deflated and so, so, so tired of arguing on against every single one of these horrible tirades!

I don't want to de-rail the thread, which is about the dehumanisation of Palestinians in particular! Plenty of that on show, too!

The whole affair just made me think "no wonder people can't find it in them to see Palestinians as fellow humans - they don't even manage to truly do this on their neighbours and work colleagues!"

It's fucking depressing!

Ugh that sounds rubbish!
I think the Internet is breaking humanity. People seem happy to spout all sorts of prejudiced opinions these days, it regularly shocks me

I’m sorry you have had such a shitty week @HeidiInTheBigCity

I’m not even sure how or why we came up with the idea of ‘humanity’ when we have a track record of being so hideous to each other.

Advocating for peace while being treated as though you might be doing the opposite is tiring. Hang in there.

@HeidiInTheBigCity absolutely. Unfortunately there are a lot of people with hate in their hearts these days.

I've no idea where to put this but felt it needed to be recorded. This man doesn't think his politics are "far right". If this is a moderate then God help Gaza.

www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-12-18/ty-article/israeli-local-council-head-calls-to-flatten-gaza-like-auschwitz-today-in-radio-interview/0000018c-7bf9-de44-a9be-7ffd05e90000

The head of an Israeli local authority called for the Gaza Strip to be "flattened completely, just like Auschwitz today,"

I'm speechless.

Hope this is OK to post. Just sort if relevant to the dehumanising points. Just enjoying this beautiful dancing, Palestinian Dabke. Beautiful people, beautiful culture.

Completely speechless. I am no longer shocked, just trying to figure out how I never knew such hate existed. Or that anyone would not have the self awareness to recognise how that looks to normal people. I shudder at what's said in private.

Ben Gvir's idea
https://www.instagram.com/p/C1A2Z28ubjA/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

There is so much dehumanising of Gazans I just wanted to add something which humanised, it's both sad and inspiring. It's from day 23 of the bombing so things will look very different now. Does anyone know if Bisan is still posting content?

https://youtube.com/shorts/RDO5VsziiIA?si=2VZO8ZnuRq9aKalc

Tbf both sides In this war view life like that or Hamas wouldn't have taken hostages would they? They are to bargain with.

Palestinian nationalism holds that Jewish people do not exist and that Jews actually belong to the last country they were in diaspora. So ethnically cleansed Jews from Arab states are Arab Jews and Jews that migrated to Poland are 'polish'

Which makes Ben Gvir is Arab Jew and Smotrich is Palestinian.

Her full name is Bisan Owda. Her home was bombed on the 8th December, she survived. Last report posted yesterday, thank God 💐
https://youtube.com/watch?si=5BbFINcEEnUDKJiy&v=6xRi1fXXTd8&feature=youtu.be

For the record: she is also fucking amazing!

As are all those other Gazans who continue to somehow or other refuse to "be disconnected" and find a way to reach out!

If I were ever to "fall on my knees and pay my respect - no questions asked" [not a very "me" thing to do ...": it would be in front of all the Gazans - "Ghazawi"! this is what they are called in their language, and they choose to speak to us in ours instead! - Journalists, but also just everday people! Who risk their lives every single day, expose themselves, to tell us what is happening!

Not just journalists! Gazans are fucking heroes for just surviving and managing to keep on posting!

Honestly, at this point I am just generally getting disillusioned with my fellow humans!
I feel the same. Across a range of topics, especially this one, it seems like some people are more concerned about drawing lines and holding them, often speaking of the 'wrong side' in awful and dehumanising terms, than they are peace, finding common ground, and good faith discussion.
Even on theoretically non-emotive topics, many people have seemed to lose any sense of moderate thought and have developed a "you're either in agreement with us/on our side or you're against us" outlook. I don't think it's particularly healthy.

I agree @LolaSmiles it is very partisan at times. I am all for finding common ground and have always and will always support innocent civilians on both sides of the conflict. The more ways we can find common ground to work for the best interests of all the better.

Seen as less human’: Why has Islamophobia surged amid Israel’s Gaza war?Indlieb Farazi Saber

Hate crimes against Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim in the United Kingdom are up by 140 percent compared with this time last year, according to British police.
The United Kingdom anti-Islamophobia organisation Tell MAMA has received a sevenfold increase in reports of Islamophobia since the October 7 attack.
John L Esposito, author of more than 50 books – including Islamophobia: The Challenge of Pluralism in the 21st Century (2011) – explains what Islamophobia is, and how Israel’s war on Gaza has led to an explosion in incidents.
“In the current climate, since Israel’s war on Gaza began in October, there have been growing incidents where people have had their employment terminated for showing their support for a free Palestine,” Esposito told Al Jazeera.
Read our full interview with Esposito on the rise of Islamophobia amid the continuing war here.

@PeasfullPerson that is really awful and sad.