Source: Gideon’s Substack
by Noah Millman
“If what Israel is doing has nothing to do with actually defending the country, then it is simply guilty. If much of what it has been doing is legitimately related to self-defense, then it is simply not-guilty. Right? Maybe. But what if self-defense cannot be achieved without destroying Gaza utterly? Would that mean that the destruction of Gaza wasn’t genocide? That doesn’t seem right — the destruction happened, and if it gets even worse then what are we going to call it? So does that mean that genocide was justified on the grounds of self-defense, as self-defense can justify homicide? That might sound like an absurd idea, but before saying so, consider the narrative that your average middle-of-the-road Israeli or Israel-defender feels in their bones.” (07/31/25)
https://gideons.substack.com/p/can-you-commit-genocide-in-self-defense