The fallacy of the colonial ‘right to defence’

Colonial powers have long demanded the ‘right to defence’ against the people they have colonised.

The violence convulsing the Middle East has produced heart-rending images and statistics. As I write this, at least 160 people, the vast majority of them Palestinians, including at least 41 children – the vast majority Palestinian – have been killed as the Israeli military carries out bombing raids in densely populated Gaza and armed Palestinian groups hurl rockets at Israeli cities. Meanwhile, inter-communal violence has broken out across Israel. In response, Western governments, led by US President Joe Biden, have been quick to unequivocally condemn Palestinian groups for the rocket barrages, but have been much more circumspect about condemning Israel’s attack on Palestinian civilians. Lukewarm expressions of “dismay” and “grave concern” at Palestinian deaths have been interspersed with declarations of “unwavering support for Israel’s security and for Israel’s legitimate right to defend itself”. They have also included appeals for “moral clarity”, implying that the actions of Palestinian groups, though causing  a tiny fraction of the death and destruction that Israeli bombardment has wreaked, were nonetheless much more objectionable.