Gaza genocide accelerates crisis within Israel’s settler-colonial project

Yuki Lindley writes that Israel’s destruction of Gaza may have strengthened its short-term dominance, but it deepened the demographic, economic and moral pressures that threaten the long-term stability of the state project.

SETTLER COLONIAL STATES are always genocidal in nature because their legitimacy is based on the displacement and destruction of the original inhabitants of the land.

From the first waves of border violence to the further annexation of prime lands and water resources, settler colonialism works by eliminating the means for Indigenous survival. His intentions are thus inherently violent and genocidal; However, over time, this genocidal intent became embedded in social structures, colonial legal systems, public policies and other social structures.

The settler colonial state seeks to stabilize itself by shifting from overt state violence to a more harmful structural violence aimed at finishing the job of eliminating and assimilating the remaining natives.

In a terrible wave of anger, Israel decided to unleash its genocidal wrath on the entire population of Gaza. The impunity for this shocked even those knowledgeable about Israeli violence. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers filmed themselves committing war crimes and shared it with the world, while senior government officials openly declared their genocidal intentions to the Western media.

And most famously, the Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu called for something religious war: “You must remember what Amalek did to you,” says our Bible. And we remember too.”

By doing this, has Israel destroyed all hope of a long-term settler colonial project? Did he create the very conditions that would lead to the end of the settler colonial project?

If we examine the conditions under which settler colonial states failed, we can identify some of the precursors to their failure. For example, like the Israelis fleeing the country in drovesThere will be a demographic shift in the number of settlers who see life expectancy in the diaspora as a more attractive option compared to Palestinian natives.

When settlers fail to gain a significant majority over the Native population, they cannot move on to the next phase of settler colonialism, the incorporation of Natives into the larger society, because the Native population remains a huge political threat to the ruling settlers.

More importantly, the most talented and educated Israelis are the ones leaving, creating a brain drain that could affect the nation’s continued existence. Only the most zealous, radical Zionists are currently moving to Israel; This is a terrible reality for Palestinians facing increasing settler violence in the West Bank, but perhaps bad news for Israel’s long-term interests.

International pressure and sanctions are another precursor to failed settler colonial states. While Western nations and Arab states are unlikely to bow to continued pressure from their own citizens in the short term, there is a growing solidarity among activists in countries of the global north and global south to implement both cultural boycotts and repression. EurovisionUse of international law and economic pressure through Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDSs) movement, something that contributed to the collapse of South Africa’s apartheid state.

Over time, Israelis will likely become pariahs as they move around the world; The stains of live-streamed war crimes will not be cleared away.

The continuation of indigenous resistance is another bad sign for settler colonial states, and Palestinians have remained steadfast in their refusal to abandon their land. This rejection perhaps surprises many Israelis, but it is the cornerstone of Palestinian identity and resistance. “I will remain faithful to my land until the last blood of my soul drops, until my last breath.” This is a common refrain from those still experiencing unimaginable acts of genocide.

Indigenous resistance can take many forms, from demands for legal accountability, international lobbying or boycotts, to armed resistance by those in the diaspora and those still living under illegal military occupation.

The long-running genocide in Gaza shows that the unity within Israeli society is already beginning to crumble. Within the wider Jewish diaspora, an increasing number of young Jews are awakening to the Zionist teachings to which they are exposed through films such as: Israelism finding an audience in the worldwide Jewish diaspora.

New York City, home to the largest Jewish population outside Israel, was recently elected Mayor Zohran MamdaniA Muslim man who is steadfast in his criticism of Israel and support for Palestine. In fact, the tide of approval for the state of Israel is shifting significantly, and the disintegration of Zionism appears to be continuing.

While Israel has always relied on its significant military and surveillance technology advantage to dominate Indigenous populations, this is an expensive and perhaps unsustainable way to maintain a settler state. In fact, Israel’s economy is already struggling with the rising costs of destroying Gaza, making it more dependent than ever on US aid. The United States has spent since its founding hundreds of billions of dollars To help Israel.

The question is whether this generosity can be sustained in the long term in a changing geopolitical environment. America’s economy is in decline, and Israel is becoming an increasingly costly enterprise as the international fallout from the live-streamed genocide begins to mount.

Settler colonialism is most stable when there is a semblance of compromise; In this sense, Oslo Accords was perhaps the culmination of Israel’s settler colonial project.

In Australia, we speak the language of reconciliation and recognition of Indigenous peoples to ensure the stability of the settler colonial project. Once we reduce the Indigenous population to a non-threatening demographic minority, we can comfortably incorporate Indigenous differences and work toward normalizing relations between settlers and Indigenous peoples to legitimize the settler colonial state.

In Gaza, however, Israel has eliminated the possibility of a return to the idea of ”peace talks” and reconciliation between settlers and indigenous people. On the way back NakbaIsrael has perhaps destroyed any possibility of its existence as a permanent settler colonial state, only with far more lethal modern weapons.