Is Genocide Ever Permissible? Yes, According To Now-Deleted Blog Post By Israeli Columnist
As the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip stretches on to nearly a month-long conflict, individuals looking to explain the situation and why the conflict continues on may be attempting to find new ways to explain the conflict. But one blog post by a Times of Israel writer raised the ire of the Internet after he advocated for permissible genocide.
The writer, Yochanon Gordon of the Times of Israel, wrote the blog post that quickly became a trending topic on Twitter with the title “When Genocide is Permissible,” not leaving anyone to imagine his views on the topic and the Palestinian people.
According to Salon, Gordon said Israel could take a stand with the permissible genocide argument because Hamas “presents to Israel, Gordon contends that ‘nothing… can be considered disproportionate when we are fighting for our very right to live.”
He then said the following, per Salon, which noted his blog post advocating permissible genocide has been removed from the web:
“Hamas has stated forthrightly that it idealizes death as much as Israel celebrates life. What other way then is there to deal with an enemy of this nature other than obliterate them completely?
“News anchors such as those from CNN, BBC and Al-Jazeera have not missed an opportunity to point out the majority of innocent civilians who have lost their lives as a result of this war. But anyone who lives with rocket launchers installed or terror tunnels burrowed in or around the vicinity of their home cannot be considered an innocent civilian.”
Following the uproar online over his blog post on permissible genocide, Gordon’s article did disappear and according to the International Business Times, he has since apologized for the article.
“I never intended to call to harm any people although my words may have conveyed that message.
“I wish to express deep regret and beg forgiveness for an article I authored which was posted on 5TJT.com, Times of Israel and was tweeted and shared the world over.
“I never intended to call to harm any people although my words may have conveyed that message.
“With that said I pray and hope for a quick peaceful end to the hostilities and that all people learn to coexist with each other in creating a better world for us all.”
While he may not have intended to call harm, advocating permissible genocide doesn’t quite leave many to conclude that you desire anything else.
[Image via Flickr Creative Commons]
