FAQs. Unmute Gaza. – Frequently Asked, Poorly Formulated, Possibly Bigot Questions

The Frequently Asked Questions addressed here are drawn from every-day examples found in mainstream media outlets and social media. Our objective is not only to question the officially-sanctioned responses they usually receive but also to challenge the way these questions are often formulated and framed. Therefore, some disclaimers regarding this document and its language are laid out below:

_ The fact that these questions are “frequently asked” does not mean that they’re the right questions to be asking in order to understand what’s happening in Palestine.

_ We condemn the October 7th attacks perpetrated by Hamas. Nothing justifies these attacks. We share the grief of the victims’ families.

_ Our frequent references to the October 7th attacks by Hamas should not be interpreted as an assertion that this event is the most pivotal or the root cause of the ongoing violence. Rather, it serves as an acknowledgment that, to many, this moment marks the beginning of the conversation surrounding the complex dynamics at play.

_ The October 7th attacks have garnered global attention but all of this violence didn’t start on October 7th nor does it come out of the blue. There are deeply rooted causes to this issue that can be traced back to the XIX century.

_ Although we’re replicating mainstream language in the FAQs addressed here, concepts like ‘terrorism’, ‘self-defence’ or ‘war’ deserve thorough examination, nuance and questioning.

_ Explaining the root causes of violence is under no circumstance a justification for it. We believe violence begets violence. Only peaceful, non-violent, and equitable measures will break the ongoing spiral of violence.

1. Why don’t you show pictures of the other side of the story?

Every life matters. While Western countries have extensively condemned the October attacks, there has been a notable lack of similar condemnation for Israel’s prolonged and decades-long occupation of Palestine. Even when narrowing our focus to recent events, we have seen double standards coming from some states and leaders. This pertains not only to denouncing the indiscriminate bombing of civilians in Palestine but also to the acknowledgement of the different forms of violence that are fostering the ongoing ethnic cleansing in Gaza. These include blocking access to essential resources like food, energy, or medicines, as well as forcing mass displacements of the population.

The events that we are seeing in Gaza these past weeks have been labelled as a genocide, which constitutes a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, by international institutions and leaders, including Craig Mokhiber, former Director of the New York Office of the High Commissioner of the United Nations for Human Rights.

The extent of dehumanisation of Palestinians witnessed in the media and echoed by Israeli military and political figures underscores the imperative to bring forth the human stories behind Israeli attacks on Palestinians. This initiative aims to counter the narrative of aseptic military operations against dehumanised labels such as “human animals” and “irrational barbaric terrorists”. It further seeks to contextualise these events within the historical framework of the colonial dynamics of the occupation (since 1948) and the apartheid conditions (recognised by the UN and international Human Rights organisations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch) that Israel imposes on the Palestinians.

2. You seem to be biased and Pro-palestinian. Isn’t this campaign antisemitic? 

We see ourselves as humanitarians. We stand in solidarity with all oppressed people, including the Palestinian people, and advocate for people’s inherent dignity. We oppose settler colonialism. We oppose all form of racism, including antisemitism, islamophobia, anti-blackness, xenophobia, white supremacy, and bigotry. The assumption that defending the dramatic situation of the Palestinian people would mean being antisemitic, is nonsense. Palestinians are a semitic people. Their population consisted mostly of muslims and christians, and also historic communities of Palestinian jews.

3.Don’t you think Israel has the right to defend itself? 

Israel is an occupying power, and as such it does not have the right to a legitimate self-defence with regards to the occupied population. Bombing hospitals, refugee camps, schools, women and children is not self-defence, it’s a war crime and a collective punishment. The disproportionate response of the Israeli Government – which also included the denial of food, fuel and water, and the forced displacement of 1.1 million people from the north of the territory – has created mass humanitarian suffering. UN Special Rapporteurs and international law and human rights experts have warned of the risk of genocide.

The right of states to defend themselves is stated in article 51 of the UN Charter, but as the UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese has pointed out, this article was intended as the defence of a State against another State’s aggression, and not against a non-state armed group within an occupied territory for which that same State is responsible. Under IHL, Israel is the occupying power of the Gaza strip and thus responsible for the protection of civilians, services and infrastructures.

It is also noteworthy how, prior to October 7, there were 5,200 Palestinians in Israeli prisons, 170 children included. 1,200 of them were detained under ¨administrative detention¨ meaning that they are held indefinitely with no fair trial or charge, according to Al Jazeera.

4. Aren’t extreme measures and use of force justified when dealing with ‘terrorists’?

Research shows that large-scale military offensives and heavy-handed ‘counter-terror’ responses rarely achieve long-term security and more often incite further cycles of violence. The disastrous War on Terror started by the U.S. and its allies after the 9/11 attacks is perfect proof of how the militaristic approach to “counter-terrorism” only produces further death, destruction and extremism, also failing to provide actual security to people both at home and abroad. Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya, all justified as “anti-terrorist” operations, are a vivid and painful example of the ostensible failures and extensive collateral damage of the military approach when confronting a ‘terrorist’ threat.

We strongly believe that no solution will be yielded from a militaristic approach, and that no just and peaceful resolution will ever be achieved without addressing the root causes of violence.

5. What silence do you talk about? Social media is full of these images.

Western governments, Western mainstream media, Western institutions, Western cultural agents, and so on. The simple fact that the Israel-Palestine situation is only getting the attention of the world after the events of October 7th, when Israelis were the initial receivers of violence, and not during the past decades of violence against the Palestinians, is indicative of this prevailing silence. Another notable silence stems from the fact that the recurring calls for condemnation are primarily directed toward Israeli victims, with comparatively less emphasis on the much higher number of Palestinian casualties (tenfold). Western countries have all firmly condemned the October 7th attacks, but not Israel’s indiscriminate bombing of Gaza, nor have they acknowledged the root causes of this crisis, including colonialism, apartheid or ethnic cleansing. Several European countries have also repressed, censored, banned, and systematically silenced actions and expressions of solidarity with Palestine. Even in social media, censorship has been widely documented and exposed.

One month after the October 7th attacks, over 11,000 Palestinians have been killed, with over 40% being children, and 27,000 individuals injured. Additionally, 1.6 million people have been displaced, 200 doctors, 41 journalists, and more than 100 UN workers have been assassinated. Entire families have disappeared. The disproportionate number of deaths on the Palestinian side is a well-documented historical trend, but the silence of Western media and politicians in the face of this massacre is deafening.

6. If you are not Palestinian and do not live there… Why do you speak on their behalf? Isn’t that a colonialist and paternalistic Western approach.

The main goal of the Unmute Gaza project is to confront and start a conversation on Western silence in face of what’s happening in Gaza. It is precisely about amplifying the voice of Palestinian photojournalists, aligning with current calls from civil society organisations and many other Palestinian actors. They are asking the global community, including activists, organisations, and citizens, not to remain silent but to take proactive measures to shed light on the suffering and its underlying causes. This project wants to contribute to this goal and responds to this global call for solidarity humanity.

7. Why does it matter what Western countries do? 

Israel’s war crimes, apartheid and ethnic cleansing are only possible because of the complicity of Western countries, especially the United States of America and the European Union. Their political, economic and diplomatic unwavering support of Israel has given Tel Aviv a de facto sense of impunity for the last 75 years. Furthermore, Western countries’ military cooperation, aid, and trade have made the Israeli army the most advanced one in the region, and its military industry a cutting-edge sector.

The U.S. provides Israel with 3,8 billion dollars in military aid each year, and the EU continues to consider Tel Aviv as a strategic partner, also in arms trade and research. Arm imports and exports play a pivotal role in bolstering Israel’s military and security infrastructure, thus crucially sustaining the illegal occupation and apartheid regime. Notably, Israel economically benefits from the sale of its «battle-tested» military products. The continued trade of war materiel from Israel by Western countries serves as a contributing factor to the perpetuation of the ongoing massacre in Palestine.

8. These images are softened by the “art” filter. Why didn’t you just take their photos and print them as they are? 

We believe in the relation between time, language, and narratives. Photojournalistic language has the power of immediacy, which allows for a speedy spreading of reality. On the other hand, we have painting and drawing languages, which require pause and contemplation. They encourage the artists involved to spend time and effort choosing the images and representing them. And, in this era dominated by the invasion of images, art beckons viewers to pause and think about what is happening, often with a greater impact than photos alone.

9. Why is there a selection of images from only a few photojournalists rather than incorporating the work of all photojournalists reporting in Gaza?

While recognising the intense and challenging conditions that photojournalists face on the ground, our commitment to upholding copyright rules protecting photographers remains unwavering. Although questions may arise regarding whether adapting an image to create artwork requires the photographer’s consent, we hold photojournalism in such high regard that we refrain from sparking a debate on this matter. Therefore, as a rule of thumb, we ask for the photojournalists’ authorisation to use their images as a base for the UnmuteGaza project.

Given the dire situation in Gaza and the constant threat to the lives of photojournalists as they carry out their duties, reaching them is a challenging endeavour. Moreover, it involves a morally delicate task, as we feel a sense of indecency in disturbing them amidst their experiences of profound loss, struggles for basic necessities like electricity and shelter, and the broader fight for survival. We have contacted multiple photojournalists. Belal Khaled was the first one to answer us, and give us his authorisation, adding that he was grateful for our initiative. This is what pushed us to continue our action. Because Belal was the first one to give his consent, our participating artists immediately started to work on his images, hence why the number of prints based on his photos. Then Mahmoud Bassam gave his authorisation and blessing; and after that, Sameh Rahmi did. We are fortunate and grateful for it. We are still awaiting answers from other brave photojournalists. As for now, no one has actually refused, they are simply unreachable.

10. This collection of prints, as a whole, mostly shows the suffering. It feels like a voyeur, and it is missing a connection with the personal stories that one can see on social media.

We are not focusing on the images that are all over social platforms. We are trying to spread the voice of the last photojournalists reporting in Gaza. And, from their perspective, the suffering is mostly what is seen, and happening in Gaza right now. In addition, as the initiators of the project, we refuse to select which images each artist will work on, and will also not curate the content. We firmly believe that such interference would introduce an unnecessary layer/filter between the stark reality on the ground, the lens of the photojournalists capturing the scenes, and the artistic interpretation of these images by the participating artists. The participant artists have their own language, a language that engages. They autonomously choose the images that resonate and inspire them.

In the face of unfolding atrocities and genocide, it is noteworthy that, at present, most of the artists have been moved by, and consequently selected, images depicting profound suffering.

November 15, 2023

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