{"id":280191,"date":"2024-11-18T12:00:50","date_gmt":"2024-11-18T12:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=280191"},"modified":"2024-11-12T06:31:03","modified_gmt":"2024-11-12T06:31:03","slug":"the-jabalia-doctrine-genocide-as-a-counterinsurgency-policy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2024\/11\/the-jabalia-doctrine-genocide-as-a-counterinsurgency-policy\/","title":{"rendered":"The Jabalia Doctrine: Genocide as a Counterinsurgency Policy"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Displaced Palestinians forced by the Israeli military to evacuate Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on 22 Oct 2024. (Reuters)<\/p><\/div>\n

1 Nov 2024 – Historically, Israel has tried to control Palestinians by isolating insurgents from their communities. After the humiliation of 7 Oct, the aim is now to eliminate them both<\/span>.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Since the 7 October attack, Israel<\/a> has adopted genocide as a population-centric counterinsurgency strategy. While this follows Israel\u2019s historical perpetration of ethnic cleansing during the Nakba<\/a> in 1948, the objectives of\u00a0these two events are distinct.<\/p>\n

During the Nakba, ethnic cleansing was used as a tactic to displace Palestinians<\/a> from their lands to make space for the new European settlers. This displacement was a fundamental part of the settler-colonial project, as without it, establishing a new colony would have been impossible.<\/p>\n

However, what has been unfolding in Gaza<\/a> in the past year, especially in the north and in Jabalia recently<\/a>, is a genocide aimed at the total subjugation of Palestinians, forcing them to surrender. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu\u00a0has openly stated that the goal is to deradicalise Gaza<\/a> through war. This gruesome counterinsurgency tactic is reminiscent of the methods of classic colonialism.<\/p>\n

During the British<\/a> colonialism of Palestine, the British army committed many atrocities against Palestinians.<\/p>\n

One of the most infamous eras was under Major Orde Wingate<\/a>, who formed the Special Night Squad<\/a> to terrorise Palestinians into submission during the Arab Revolt<\/a>. This squad, consisting of British soldiers and Zionist paramilitary forces from the Haganah<\/a>, laid the foundation for the fighting doctrine of the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF).<\/p>\n

The Special Night Squad engaged in torture, indiscriminate killing, home-raiding and the destruction of property. These activities aimed to isolate the rebels from their communities, making it easy to eliminate the resistance to British colonialism.<\/p>\n

During the Arab Revolt, British forces destroyed over 5,000 homes to intimidate Palestinians and punish them for resisting and not collaborating against the rebels. These criminal activities served as a model for the Israeli military to utilise against Palestinians since its formation.<\/p>\n

Carrot or stick<\/h3>\n

The main objective of developing population-centric counterinsurgency tactics is based on the realisation that colonial armies couldn\u2019t defeat rebels in guerrilla warfare.<\/p>\n

Whenever a rebel is killed, another rises to take their place. Recognising the importance of\u00a0local popular support in the sustainability and longevity of the insurgency against colonialism, colonial armies developed strategies that aimed to drive a wedge between insurgents and their communities. These strategies followed the carrot and stick approach.<\/p>\n

After the Second World War, western colonial powers, especially the US<\/a>, developed counterinsurgency policies, namely towards the colonised subjects, utilising the \u201cwinning hearts and minds\u201d motto.<\/p>\n

For example, the US Agency for International Development<\/a> (USAID) was created to serve as a soft-power tool for American imperialism during the Vietnam War.<\/p>\n