License to kill

The silence on the genocidal situation in Gaza is striking. How can we explain the double standards when we compare the – legitimate– indignation caused by the Russian bombings in Ukraine and the code of silence on those targeting the Palestinian civilian population subjected to a blockade? The drama is unfolding around a cocktail of feelings of guilt, cultural solidarity, fear of Islam or even hostility towards this religion, presented as a societal and security threat, poorly digested colonial memories and adherence to the concept of the “clash of civilizations”. In the media and among politicians, such a mixture of factors has led to almost universal support for the Israeli government’s actions. Permis de tuer analyzes the motives and consequences of the denial of the risk of genocide. Those who denounce it are labeled anti-Semites or accomplices of terrorism. Yet the reality is that we are facing a moral bankruptcy; and we cannot say that we did not know...