By Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
The civilized world’s reaction to the shootings in Paris several weeks ago led to some important soul-searching among Western leaders and thinkers: while the attacks are certainly worthy of condemnation, they must nevertheless prompt us to consider the legitimate grievances of those who perpetrated them. I would add that such consideration must only be undertaken when it is non-Western terrorists whose actions are the spark. We must never, for example, give voice to the grievances or claims of Israel when that country or its citizens stand accused of crimes.
Free speech and freedom of expression are important principles – but do they have limits? That question strikes at the very heart of what it means to be a Western, liberal culture. It would not occupy our consciousness to its present degree if not for the murder of more than a dozen French people. Our grappling with the sensitivities of Muslims expresses the very essence of a healthy discourse around liberal principles – a grappling that would never occur if the sensibilities being offended were, say, Jewish. That simply would not be called for.
Imagine, if you will, if our reaction to allegations of Israeli war crimes against Palestinians were as follows: “Of course we deplore this action, but perhaps we must ask ourselves why Israel feels compelled to engage in such behavior. What can we do to ameliorate the situation such that Israel no longer feels the need to act in this way? Are there policies that we, as political leaders, have adopted that contribute to Israelis’ being driven to desperation and resorting to such extreme measures?”
As you can see, such a response is ludicrous. Only Muslims deserve to have their grievances become part of the conversation about political or religious violence. It would be a betrayal of that principle to pose the question of whether Jews have any right to purchase homes and live in any region of their ancestral homeland. We would violate the ethos of liberalism itself if we were to entertain the notion that Jews have the right to defend themselves against Muslims, or at all. The European crucible of liberalism is also the European crucible of trying to make the Jews go away.
To assert that any Western government or people – let alone Israel – even has legitimate grievances undermines the very foundations of modern European thought. In keeping with my own Communist roots, I cannot help but note that the fact that Muslim nations are, as a rule, less prosperous than their Western counterparts obligates those Western societies to provide for those less fortunate nations, since their prosperity is their own fault. No one forced them to develop industry, freedoms, scientific advancement, or technology; having done so, they must now surrender any right to make demands of others. You have money, industry, and morals? Sorry, you must check your status as victim at the door. Only brown people are allowed victim status.
Unless they’re Jewish. We Europeans have had enough of Jewish grievances. Only Palestinians deserve justice.
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