Deluge: Gaza and Israel from Crisis to Cataclysm - edited by Jamie Stern-Weiner

Published in 2024 by OR Books, New York, NY and London, UK 

320 pages

ISBN: 978-1-68219-619-9

In the wake of the horrific violence we’ve witnessed in Gaza over the past year and a half, political pundits and commentators have been quick to defend the actions of the Israeli state. In the wake of the October 7th attacks, in which 1,500 Israeli citizens were killed and around 250 taken hostage, the initial response from the Biden administration was to support the Israeli state unconditionally. As we’ve witnessed over the past twenty-one months, atrocities have been committed in the systematic destruction of the Gaza Strip by Israel, as over 55,000 Palestinians have been killed in response, often justified under the banner of the Israeli state’s “right to defend itself.” 

       Yet, this violence did not begin on October 7th. The very establishment of the state of Israel in 1948 was predicated on ethnic cleansing and settler-colonial violence, as around 750,000 Palestinians were violently expelled and displaced from their land by Zionist paramilitaries in an event known as the Nakba (النَّكْبَة; “the catastrophe”). The destruction of Gaza has been horrific to witness, as we see time and time again the war crimes that the Israeli government has committed. Additionally, the Israeli Occupation Force’s wildly disproportionate response to the October 7th attacks has done little to bring the Israeli hostages back and has even directly contributed to their deaths. They have been gleefully responsible for the repression and deaths of thousands of Palestinian civilians and the utter destruction of the land and infrastructure in Gaza. 

       While there can be no justification for the killing of Israeli civilians during the attacks on October 7th, that does not mean that they are wholly unexplainable or reducible to merely “antisemitism.” Rather, we must be attentive to the history of the conflict between Israel and the Gaza Strip if we hope to have any chance of seeing clearly what the future of the region could hold. In his 2023 collection of essays, Deluge: Gaza and Israel from Crisis to Cataclysm, editor Jamie Stern-Weiner brings together a wide array of Palestinian, Israeli, and other scholars, activists, and firsthand witnesses to assert a thesis long suppressed by Western media and foreign policy: that Gaza is not a humanitarian crisis alone but the logical outcome of a colonial system rooted in violent dispossession.

Overview:

       Divided into three sections (Contexts, Cataclysm, and Solidarities), the volume resists the reduction of Gaza to a problem of cycles, retaliation, or failed diplomacy. Instead, it positions Israel’s policies toward Gaza as part of a coherent and historically grounded strategy of settler colonial violence. The contributors collectively advance the idea that the 2023 war must be understood not as an aberration, but as a culmination of decades of policy aimed at the controlled de-development and fragmentation of Palestinian life.

       The first section details the historical background and context of the Israeli occupation of Palestine. The book delves into the historical roots of the conflict, examining how past policies and events have shaped the current situation in Gaza. The second section focuses on the specific political context of the October 7th attacks and the ensuing war in Gaza. The authors emphasize the severe humanitarian consequences of the conflict, focusing on the experiences of civilians in Gaza and the challenges they face.

       Finally, the third and final section zooms out to examine solidarity movements in the US, the UK, and the EU, and how these efforts have been vehemently opposed by the political elite of the state in each of these regions. The wide range of contributors analyze the international community's response to the crisis, highlighting inconsistencies and the impact of geopolitical interests on the effectiveness of interventions. They critique Western mainstream media coverage, arguing that it often fails to accurately represent the realities on the ground and may inadvertently perpetuate biased narratives.

       The contributors to Deluge argue that the events in Gaza represent more than isolated incidents; they are part of a broader pattern of systemic violence and oppression. The book critiques the portrayal of Israel's actions as self-defense, suggesting instead that they constitute a form of collective punishment and a continuation of longstanding policies aimed at suppressing Palestinian resistance. It serves as a call to reevaluate the dominant narratives surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. By presenting alternative perspectives and highlighting underreported aspects of the crisis, the book aims to foster a deeper understanding of the complexities involved and encourage more informed discussions about potential pathways to peace.

Deeper Dive:

       In the First Chapter, Israeli historian Avi Shlaim provides a historical overview of Israel's military strategies in Gaza, analyzing the political and military objectives behind its operations. He provides essentially a historical genealogy of Israeli military doctrine in Gaza, exposing the long arc of state strategies that normalize violence under the guise of security. He discusses the implications of these strategies on the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict, highlighting how developments such as the Oslo Accords and the 2005 withdrawal from Gaza were deliberate strategies to manage and isolate the Palestinian population and further separate Gaza from the West Bank. 

       In the Second Chapter,  Harvard political economist Sara Roy introduces the concept of "econocide," describing Israel's policies that systematically destroy Gaza's economy. Drawing on decades of empirical work, she demonstrates how Israeli policy in Gaza represents not just military domination but systematic economic strangulation. She argues that the economic de-development of Gaza is an intentional tactic to separate it from the West Bank and stymie efforts for a Palestinian state. She examines the detrimental long-term effects of these policies on the region's economic stability and the livelihoods of its inhabitants. For example, after the election of Hamas in 2006, Israel blockaded the Gaza Strip, forcing it to be dependent on humanitarian aid. When this aid is cut off, mass starvation and death result. 

       According to Roy, “In the first two decades of the occupation, Israel sought to control and dominate the Palestinian economy, shaping it to serve its own interests. Israel’s current policy in Gaza, by contrast, attacks the economic structure with the aim of permanently disabling it. In the process, the population  is transformed from a people with national, political, and economic rights into a humanitarian problem” (48). This claim is buttressed by a cable that was sent from the US embassy in Tel Aviv (and leaked by Wikileaks) in 2008, which read: “As part of their overall embargo plan against Gaza, Israeli officials have confirmed (to US embassy economic officers) multiple times that they intend to keep the Gazan economy on the brink of collapse without pushing it over the edge” (48). As we’ve seen, after the events of October 7th, this limitation went out the window, as Israel has devastated the Palestinian people, landscape, and economy.

       In Chapter Three, scholar Colter Louwerse challenges the narrative that Hamas is solely responsible for the lack of resolution in the conflict. He presents evidence of Hamas's willingness to engage in negotiations and its alignment with international consensus frameworks. Meanwhile, he also highlights Israel’s constant refusal to negotiate, despite Hamas’s gradual accession to demands while attempting to avoid the mistakes of the PLO and its capitulation to Israeli control via the Palestinian Authority (PA). Hamas then becomes a convenient scapegoat for Israel’s refusal to negotiate. On one hand, Israel can say that Hamas is a terrorist organization and unfit for negotiations, while at the same time claiming that the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank is not fully representative of all Palestinians and also refuses to negotiate with them. By keeping these areas partitioned from one another, both geographically and politically, Israel can easily sidestep any reasonable conversation regarding the establishment of a Palestinian state within the ‘67 borders and work toward a resolution to the conflict. 

       In Chapter Four, independent researcher R. J. takes a closer look at the Great March of Return in March 2018, a grassroots protest to end the Israeli blockade and the right of return for refugees. He debunks three common myths that were originated by the Israeli state and perpetuated by Western media to justify the indiscriminate killing of Gazan civilians during this period: 1) Hamas organized the protests, 2) Palestinian protesters posed a security threat, and 3) Israel engaged in lawful self-defense. Additionally, he critiques Western media’s misrepresentation of nonviolent resistance movements as violent, arguing that such portrayals undermine their legitimacy and effectiveness. He emphasizes the importance of accurate representation in international solidarity efforts.

       In Chapter Five, Israeli computer scientist Yaniv Cogan analyzes the logic behind the intentional targeting of civilians in Gaza, discussing the ethical and strategic considerations involved and the dehumanization of Palestinians that is used to justify their murder. Israel has employed the Dahiya doctrine in Gaza, which involves the large-scale destruction of civilian architecture and non-military personnel and targets to put maximum pressure on the governing body of the state being attacked. As such, Israel has used this method by leveling the Gaza landscape, making it inhabitable, along with racking up a high civilian casualty rate to put pressure on Hamas. This strategy, far from effectively eliminating opposition, more often whips up even greater opposition to the occupying power. Cogan also contemplates the political efficacy of the October 7th attacks and whether it was effective in whipping up support for the end of the occupation. He ultimately does not believe that it was an effective strategy, as the Israeli government hates Hamas more than it cares about the hostages, often killing their own citizens to eliminate military targets.

       In Chapter Six, Palestinian journalist Ahmed Alnaouq offers an intimate and devastating story of living under occupation and the human toll of the conflict. He recounts his father being subjected to the humiliating processes at the Israeli border, and how his brother was killed in an assault in Gaza in 2008. He then reveals how his family was wiped out in a single instant in 2023, as an Israeli missile struck their home, killing his father, three sisters, two older brothers, one younger brother, and 14 nieces and nephews (all under the age of 13) as they slept. His story provides an intimate perspective on the daily realities and horrors faced by its residents, who live in perpetual fear of being killed at a moment’s notice. 

       In Chapter Seven, Palestinian academic Khaled Hroub examines Hamas's role in the escalation of the conflict, analyzing its strategies and the unintended consequences of its actions. He provides a history of Hamas, tracing its path from a militant resistance group that employed suicide bombings in the 90s to a more moderate political party that unexpectedly won the election in 2006. Though they moderated their positions in an attempt to gain international recognition as a legitimate party and distance themselves from their more violent tactics in the past, the US and Israel decided to punish Gazans for electing Hamas, setting up a blockade, and sealing the border into Gaza. Now, not only are Gaza and the West Bank separated geographically, but also politically, as the PA administers affairs in the occupied West Bank under the supervision of the Israeli state.

       Now responsible for administering the state, Hamas found its options increasingly foreclosed by the blockade. They attempted to reconcile with the Fatah, but to no avail. They continued to fire rockets at Israel to keep up their role as a resistance group, but this more often than not served in Israel’s best interest, as it gave them justification for “mowing the lawn,” in which Israel would regularly strike civilians and infrastructure to weaken support for Hamas, keep Gaza destitute, and assert their power in the region (139). 

       Hamas gradually moderated its position, leading to the 2017 charter, which replaced their antisemitic, though largely defunct, 1988 charter with a simple call for the right of return of the Palestinians to their land and the reinstitution of the 1967 borders. Netanyahu and the West immediately rejected this. With the situation deteriorating in Gaza and political options becoming increasingly narrow, Hamas decided to roll the dice with their attack on Oct. 7, which once again surprised Hamas with its relative success. Yet, the consequences of this incursion have only led to the further subjugation and death of the Gazan people, as Israel has utilized the event to justify the complete occupation and leveling of Gaza. 

       In Chapter Eight, B'Tselem field researcher Musa Abuhashhash shifts focus to the West Bank, reflecting on the parallel struggles and resistance movements there in an attempt to answer the question: why haven’t the Palestinians in the West Bank risen to fight and provide a supportive front for Gaza? He highlights the interconnectedness of the Palestinian territories and the shared experiences of their populations, arguing that the Israeli-supported PA, which acts as Israel’s security contractor in the West Bank, “has helped Israel to hollow out the Palestinian cause and establish a tolerable equilibrium under Israel’s overall control” (150). While the PA is largely seen as corrupt and discredited, the reality remains that many in the West Bank have materially benefited from the relative stability of Israeli occupation and, by comparison to their relatives in Gaza, feel relatively comfortable. Thus, in the lack of a unified Palestinian vision and party to execute a national program, there is more of an incentive to passively support the status quo in the West Bank, as they rely on international actors to temper the worst impulses of Israeli expansion. Yet, this is an illusion, and Abuhashhash argues that once Israel is done with Gaza, then the West Bank will be next.

       In Chapter Nine,  Dutch-Palestinian Middle East analyst Mouin Rabbani explores the regional implications of the Gaza conflict, discussing the involvement and interests of neighboring countries and international actors. He examines the relationship between Hamas and the Arab nations in the region and attempts to answer the question: Why did Hamas attack at that specific moment on October 7th? While many in the Western world claimed that it was because of the normalization of relations between Israel and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Rabbani is skeptical of this. 

       Rather, he argues that the normalization of relations between Palestinians and Israelis during the Oslo Accords in the 90s rapidly expanded normalizations between Israel and the rest of the Arab League in the region. Thus, over the past few decades, Israel has been forming relationships with Arab nations to isolate the Palestinians further. As Rabbani writes, “It is this perception of abandonment by not only the West and the international community but also what Palestinians had always considered their natural hinterland, that helped Hamas decide it was time to act and irrevocably shatter the status quo” (161-162). 

       Hamas’s decision to unilaterally act also confronted the Axis of Resistance (Iran, Hezbollah, and other states and movements opposed to US-Israeli hegemony in the region) with a dilemma: if they did not respond and let Gaza be slaughtered, then they come across as weak and ineffective, but if they did offer support, then they cede authority to a member of their coalition who did not consult with them before taking action against Israel. Thus, we have a situation of controlled escalation, as the Houthis launched strikes and intercepted ships in the region, while Hezbollah also pledged support. Yet, the response from the rest of the Arab nations has been mixed, consisting mostly of talk, but little action. As such, Rabbani believes that Hamas’s reasoning, if this holds to be true, was a grave miscalculation. 

       In Chapter Ten, political scientist Nathan J. Brown provides an analysis of the political and legal dimensions of the conflict, examining the erosion of institutions and the challenges to governance in the Palestinian territories. He discusses the implications for future peace prospects and attempts to predict the outcome of the conflict. He judges Hamas’s actions as a grave miscalculation and the ensuing escalation by Israel and the increasing displacement of Palestinians as inevitable. In Brown’s estimation, the future is uncertain, but there seems to be little to no plan for the day after, just continuing conflict, bitterness, and death. He writes, “When the dust settles, the people of Israel-Palestine will be left facing each other with more bitterness, but with no more tools to craft a less violent future” (180). 

       In Chapter Eleven,  political analyst and writer Mitchell Plitnick discusses the American political landscape, analyzing the shifts in public opinion and political discourse regarding the Gaza conflict. He examines the role of advocacy and activism in influencing policy, as pro-Palestinian protesters are all too often immediately labeled as “terrorist supporters” and “anti-Semitic,” while conservative Christian Zionists and the dominantly liberal media apparatus cynically utilize the Jewish community to make pro-Israel propaganda. He highlights the atmosphere of Islamophobia that has pervaded American discourse since 9/11, and the political opposition to pro-Palestinian initiatives such as Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS), while the Biden administration kept funneling billions of dollars to the Israeli government to support its genocidal campaign in Gaza. 

       In Chapter Twelve, London-based socialist writer Talal Hangari provides an overview of the Palestine solidarity movement in the United Kingdom, detailing its history, challenges, and achievements. He highlights the challenges that pro-Palestinian activists have faced while the UK consistently follows in the footsteps of the United States’ foreign policy. Faced with a hostile press and a staunchly pro-Israel Labour Party, activists have faced increasing efforts by the British state to delegitimize solidarity with the Palestinian cause, as all criticism of Israel is often conflated with outright antisemitism (as evidenced by the smear campaign against Corbyn). Despite these challenges, Hangari also acknowledges the contributions of grassroots organizations and the various opportunities to resist and oppose the UK’s official position that have arisen in the wake of the crisis.

       Finally, in Chapter Thirteen, Irish MP Clare Daly provides a searing indictment of the European Union’s complicity in war crimes, exposing the political maneuvering that led EU officials to support Israel’s military operations with little regard for international law. She takes particular aim at Ursula von der Leyen ( president of the European Commission), as she immediately launched into a pro-Israel campaign, often speaking on behalf of the EU despite her having no such authority. This, for Daly, is yet another example of how the EU has become an undemocratic institution that manufactures consent for war crimes, often taking extreme pro-Israel positions without any popular mandate from the citizens of European nations.  She calls for accountability and a reevaluation of Europe's stance, closing the book with a call to action: “In Gaza, and in the callous indifference of Europe’s political class to its fate, we catch a glimpse of the darkness ahead. That is why the emergence of mass consciousness from these events is so important. Palestine is our future. Its people are ours. We have to fight for them” (247). 

Commendations:

      There are many notable strengths to Deluge. First and foremost, for the average reader who has little background on the genocidal campaign in Gaza, this book provides much-needed context and historical background leading up to the events of October 7th. In a Western media landscape that is often dedicated to obscuring the root causes of the conflict and defaulting to a pro-Israel bias, this collection of essays is a necessary corrective. Deluge offers a multifaceted analysis of the 2023 Gaza conflict, combining historical context, personal narratives, and political critique to provide a comprehensive understanding of the events and their broader implications. This makes it an ideal book for new activists or anyone who wants to quickly learn more about the historical background of the occupation of Gaza and how it led to the current morass of bloodshed and misery. 

       Then it comes to the central argument of the book, the authors rightly insist that the 2023 war is not an isolated "flare-up" in the region, but rather part of a long-standing settler-colonial project. Authors like Avi Shlaim and Sara Roy present compelling evidence that Israel’s strategy in Gaza, which includes blockades, bombardment, and economic strangulation, is a systemic campaign of domination and fragmentation designed to maintain demographic dominance in the region. I found Sara Roy’s concept of “econocide” (the deliberate destruction of economic life) to be a beneficial and sharp contribution to current discourses around settler-colonialism, apartheid, and the question of genocide.

       Additionally, by incorporating a wide range of voices, Deluge excels in weaving academic analysis with firsthand testimony and activist reflection. In particular, the volume’s second section, Cataclysm, is its emotional and political core. Ahmed Alnaouq’s “Just Like That,” which offers a first-person account of life under bombardment, is particularly powerful. His story, grounded in unimaginable loss and survival, humanizes the catastrophe in a way that theory alone cannot. I must admit that every time I read his essay, I cannot help but be shaken to my core, both deeply disturbed and profoundly angry that this is the reality for so many in Gaza. As such, his narrative ruptures the abstraction that often surrounds academic discourse on Gaza and serves as a stark reminder that intellectual critique must never become detached from the human stakes of war. 

       Another one of the volume’s strengths is its willingness to engage with the internal divisions within Palestinian politics, particularly between Hamas, Fatah, and the Palestinian Authority. Khaled Hroub’s account of Hamas’s governance failures and ideological shifts is balanced, offering critique without succumbing to liberal moralism. Musa Abuhashhash’s reflections from the West Bank highlight the contrasting forms of repression across the fragmented geography of occupied Palestine. Colter Louwerse (along with Hroub) offers a sober analysis of Hamas’s political rationality, neither romanticizing nor demonizing the movement. They critique the reduction of the conflict to Hamas’s “terrorism” and instead examine its strategic calculations in the face of military occupation, blockade, and repeated betrayal by international diplomacy. These chapters resist the colonial habit of rendering Palestinians as either irrational fanatics or passive victims. The authors make clear that internal Palestinian dynamics should not be ignored but understood as the effects of a colonial condition that has long incentivized disunity and violence as a political tool. 

       Finally, this book excels in offering a biting critique of Euro-American support for Israeli violence, especially in the chapters by Clare Daly and Mitchell Plitnick. They outline how rhetorical support for “international law” collapses when Israel acts with impunity. This has become even more blatantly apparent with Israel’s unilateral actions against Iran, which the United States has not only allowed to occur but has also actively supported. In particular, Daly’s account of how the EU was “bounced” into complicity with war crimes exposes the colonial duplicity behind liberal humanitarian discourse, as she highlights the EU’s complicity in allowing the genocide in Gaza to continue. By illuminating the myriad ways in which mainstream Western media outlets and politicians have provided cover for Israel’s war crimes, these authors call on readers to be informed beyond the headlines and to keep their political leaders accountable. 

Critique:

       On the other hand, this volume has a few key weaknesses. First of all, since this work was written and compiled in the immediate aftermath of the Oct. 7 attacks (the book was published just two months later), several of the predictions and insights are outdated in light of further developments in the region. This makes the volume feel rushed at times, seemingly cobbled together quickly to meet a publication deadline. The further away we get from the initial event of October 7th, the more these chapters will feel incomplete, speculative, and outdated. Luckily, this is largely mitigated by the fact that much of the book’s content is concerned with the historical background of the conflict rather than predicting any future developments. 

       Additionally, while the book is imminently useful to new activists, there is much that seasoned activists or scholars in Middle Eastern foreign policy will find repetitive. While it does much to correct Western media narratives, the book remains somewhat tethered to a Western audience. Several chapters are written as if there is still a need to persuade liberal sensibilities of Palestinian humanity or the legitimacy of the resistance. These narratives run the risk of occasionally translating Palestinian anger in ways that may reinforce, rather than dismantle, the colonial gaze. The book would have been strengthened by shifting the locus of enunciation toward Palestinian self-determination, regardless of Western moral palatability, such as in other works like Mohammed El-Kurd’s Perfect Victims. 

       Similarly, while the internal dysfunctions of Palestinian leadership are rightly addressed, less attention is given to grassroots, feminist, and non-party-based resistance movements that operate outside traditional political structures. The book largely omits these kinds of bottom-up movements that challenge both the occupation and Palestinian political elites, such as youth networks, women-led resistance, and cultural collectives. Their omission risks reproducing a political map dominated by elite actors. A more robust decolonial frame would benefit from lifting horizontal forms of resistance that don’t align neatly with established political factions. 

       Relatedly, the book would benefit from a deeper theoretical engagement with anti-colonial resistance. The book defends the legitimacy of Palestinian resistance but stops short of offering a robust theoretical framework for how resistance functions within settler-colonial contexts. While Fanon’s specter haunts many of its pages, his ideas are never substantively engaged. A stronger dialogue with anti-colonial thinkers such as Fanon, Cabral, Césaire, or Said could have provided a richer framework for analyzing the ethics, limits, and evolution of violent and nonviolent Palestinian resistance in an era of asymmetrical warfare.

       Finally, one small note: while the book focuses on the Israeli/Palestinian binary, it overlooks Israel’s internal ethno-racial stratifications. While I was reading and thinking through these chapters with a decolonial framework in mind, I found myself wondering about the historical marginalization of Mizrahi, Ethiopian, and other non-European Jews in Israeli society, many of whom have been instrumentalized in the settler-colonial project while also subjected to racial hierarchies. Addressing this aspect of the settler-colonial project would not only complicate the simplistic Zionist narrative but also reveal how colonialism fractures the settler side, too.

Conclusion:

       Overall, Deluge is an urgent and necessary examination of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, focusing on the escalation of violence within Gaza and the broader implications for the Middle East. While slightly outdated and lacking in deep theoretical engagement, this volume offers one of the clearest recent articulations of the Gaza war as a colonial project, not a symmetrical conflict. The book brings together a wide range of perspectives to challenge prevailing narratives and comprehensively analyze the ongoing genocide in Gaza. By amplifying Palestinian voices and contextualizing Gaza not as a “problem” but as a consequence of modern empire, Stern-Weiner and his contributors shift the discourse in precisely the direction critical scholars and organizers have long called for.

       Deluge is not merely another history book on the seemingly never-ending conflict in the Middle East. It is an archive of a profound crisis and a provocation to think differently about the horrors we witness daily on our phones and television screens. It offers essential reading for scholars and activists alike, placing the war in Gaza within the broader historical and political context that led to its outbreak. For broader audiences, it is a challenge for us to abandon the myths of neutrality, recognize the violent colonial past and present, and join in imagining and enacting justice for a democratic, peaceful future.