Gaza Genocide as a Blueprint: Western Complicity in Israeli Supremacist Ideology Threatens Global Civil Society
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/ahdafsoueif. "In Gaza, we’ve seen horror unfold with global powers’ support. Is that a blueprint for elsewhere? | Ahdaf Soueif | The Guardian." September 11, 2026. www.theguardian.com
The Gist
The author argues that what's happening to Palestinians in Gaza isn't just a tragedy for them alone—it's a test run for ideas about which people count as disposable, and the fact that powerful western countries are supporting Israel despite widespread public outrage suggests these tactics (weapons, surveillance, population control) could be exported and used against other groups worldwide. Essentially: if the world lets this happen to Palestinians without consequence, it sets a precedent that could threaten anyone deemed inconvenient by those in power.
Conclusion
The genocide in Gaza, enabled and protected by global powers, is not an isolated tragedy but a template/blueprint for ideologies of supremacy and domination that threaten all of humanity, not just Palestinians.
Premises
- Israeli officials (Ben-Gvir, Katz, settlers) openly espouse and perform violent, dehumanizing rhetoric and actions toward Palestinians, including explicit statements about ethnic cleansing and valuing Jewish lives over millions of Palestinian lives.
- Despite growing global public awareness and moral rejection of Israel's actions since around 2017, western democracies have continued to escalate material support (arms, intelligence) to Israel even amid what the author calls 'certifiable genocide.'
- Western institutions have undermined their own democratic values and justice systems to suppress domestic protests against Israel's actions, and have attacked international justice mechanisms like the ICC that seek accountability.
- For decades, western countries have partnered with Israel on weapons development, surveillance technology, and population-control/interrogation techniques, treating Israeli methods as 'tried and tested' models to be adopted elsewhere.
- Historical patterns of public moral pressure (e.g., the South Africa model) failed to stop or even slowed the acceleration of occupation and violence in Palestine, suggesting moral argument alone does not constrain state violence when powerful interests are aligned.
- The concept of certain populations being treated as 'surplus to requirements' and living in areas desirable for development suggests a broader logic of disposability that could be applied beyond the Palestinian context.
Assumptions
- That the continuation of arms sales and diplomatic support by western powers constitutes active complicity rather than passive inaction or strategic neutrality.
- That techniques and technologies developed/tested in the Israeli-Palestinian context will be exported and applied to other populations elsewhere in the world.
- That there exists a coherent, transferable 'ideology of supremacy and domination' that operates independently of the specific historical/political context of Israel-Palestine.
- That global public opinion shifting against Israel's narrative constitutes meaningful moral victory even if it fails to change material outcomes.
- That the author's characterization of events as 'certifiable genocide' is an accurate and uncontested factual premise upon which the argument rests.