I’ve written somewhere in the region of the square root of fuck all when it comes to the war in Gaza. I’ve stayed away from the subject, partly, I suspect, subconsciously, partly because I am a lifelong supporter of the state of Israel and opponent of Hamas and, increasingly, because I have been finding it increasingly uncomfortable in attempting to justify their actions. Thanks to the words of Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, I have finally reached a place where I can be silent no longer.
Not that anyone out there gives a toss about my views on Gaza: – why should they? – and now Yorke, who I truly admire as a musician and human being, has expressed a view that, effectively sums up where I am today.
What we have witnessed in Gaza is ethnic cleansing. Others take it a step further and call it genocide and while I am not quite there yet, it is clear that I may be arguing in terms of semantics. The dictionary definition of genocide is almost indistinguishable from what is happening.
Either way, as Yorke points out, Prime Minister Netanyahu has to be stopped and we in the democratic west need to do our part in stopping him. Frankly, he is no better than the islamic fascists he is attacking.
Here is The Guardian piece by Thom Yorke. As I said before, it’s exactly how I feel too.
