Subjects

There’s a piece about recent events in Gaza over at the Cedar Lounge. Referring to the breaching of the border fence with Egypt, the pseudonymous blogger says,

The genius of this act was to do something that was essentially non-violent and yet which pointed up the manner in which Palestinians are hemmed in within defined geographic areas as they wait for the parties which continue to protest their adherence to their best interests to actually do something to validate them.

The Palestinians are seen here as passive creatures waiting for others to vindicate their rights for them.  The “genius” of this particular act resides in how it “pointed up” something, in other words how it drew the attention of third parties to it rather than any intrinsic value connected with allowing people access to goods and services while simultaneously dishing the plans of the Israelis.

It’s a variation of a common enough trope in commentary on the Middle East. The writer, while sympathetic to the Palestinian cause, writes about it in such a way as to limit or deny the political subjectivity of the Palestinians themselves. The Palestinians patiently wait for others to make good on their promises, they suffer, when their suffering becomes excessive they lash out and the actions of their leaders are barely, if at all, analysable in normal political terms i.e. in relation to whether they are likely to bring closer the achievement of their goals.  The only political subjects seem to be the United States and Israel. They have plans, intentions and schemes and they try to put them into effect. Others act, Palestinians react.

There’s more of the same further on in the article where the writer approvingly quotes from a Guardian editorial,

Entering into or encouraging some form of political dialogue with Hamas would stop the Qassams, but Israel has set its face against this while Hamas refuses to recognise Israel’s existence.

The Palestinians don´t even get the credit for their own actions. The ongoing bombardment of Sderot is seen as a result of an Israeli decision, not a Palestinian one. And note that the text says “would stop”, not “might” or some other less conclusive modal verb. There can therefore be no doubt about the matter.

Those sympathetic to the Palestinian cause could do it and themselves a favour by treating the Palestinians as political grown-ups and not just the objects of the knavish schemes of others.