Columbia University Professor Joseph Massad: Genocide Is A Western Value, Adopted By Israel, Alongside Settler Colonialism And Racism; Israel Claims October 7 Was Motivated By Antisemitism To Cover Up Jewish Colonialism; 'Electronic Intifada' Founder Ali Abunimah: October 7 Was The Biggest Mass Killing Of Jews Since The Holocaust –Perpetrated By The Israeli Government

Columbia University professor of Modern Arab politics and intellectual history Joseph Massad said on an October 9, 2024 Electronic Intifada livestream marking the first anniversary of the October 7, 2023 attack that genocide is a Western liberal value. He said that Israel indeed supports Western liberal values, which he claimed were genocide, settler colonialism, and racism.

Ali Abunimah, co-founder of the Electronic Intifada, asked Massad about the Israeli "propaganda" that the October 7 attack was the biggest mass killing of Jews since the Holocaust, saying that if indeed this was true, then "it was probably the biggest mass killing of Jews by the Israeli government." He asked Massad to discuss claims that the October 7 "operation" was motivated by hatred of Jews.

Massad replied that Zionists consider attacks against Jews in Palestine to have the same antisemitic motive as attack against Jews in Russia, Germany, or elsewhere. However, he explained, in Europe, Jews were indeed attacked for being Jews, because they were "part of these countries" as citizens or subjects, whereas they are not indigenous to Palestine. Massad added that Zionists use antisemitism to prevent Palestinian resistance from ever achieving legitimacy.

Joseph Massad teaches a course described as "the History of the Jewish Enlightenment (Haskala) in 19th century Europe and the development of Zionism."

Professor Joseph Massad: "Genoide is indeed a Western liberal value, and it should always be considered as such. I am always perplexed when people question Israel's commitment to Western libera values, because they think that Western liberal values are actually the propagandistic values that Western imperialist governments put out there. I believe that Israel is sincere when it say that it indeed abides by Western liberal values, one of which is genocide; one of which is settler colonialism; one of which is utter racism and racial contempt for its racial inferiors. All of that is part of Western values."

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Ali Abunimah: "It is interesting hearing you talk about Israel constantly having to present itself as a victim of genocide or a potential victim of genocide. We saw that propaganda again after October 7, this talking point put out by the Israeli government and its supporters, that October 7 was the biggest mass killing of Jews since the Holocaust – if that is true, it was probably the biggest mass killing of Jews by the Israeli government, since we know... We'll talk about that perhaps later in the program, the Hannibal Directive...

"But I want to talk about this constant refrain of Israeli propaganda over the last year that the operation itself on October 7 was motivated by hatred of Jews."

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Massad: "In the minds of the Zionists, their presence, as Jews, in Russia, Germany, or elsewhere, and in Palestine is the same, that the status of their presence in Palestine is just of being Jewish and not of being colonists, when in fact, of course, in Europe, Jews who were attacked by pogromists or antisemites, were indeed being attacked for being Jewish. They were part of these countries, they were citizens of these countries, or subjects of these countries, depending on the kind of regime that ruled, whereas in Palestine, they were not indigenous.

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"It is very clear that from the start, the idea is that antisemitism is used precisely as an ideological cover for Zionist and Jewish settler colonialism in Palestine, and to prevent Palestinians from ever achieving legitimacy in resisting Jewish colonialism, which must always be framed as antisemitism."