Israel’s Assassination of Memory
Chris Hedges, journalist and Pulitzer Prize–winning former correspondent, argues that Israel’s current campaign in Gaza is not only an act of ethnic cleansing but also an attempt to erase cultural memory itself.
The Razing of Gaza
According to Hedges, Israel’s operations have escalated beyond military assault into the deliberate destruction of Gaza City, one of the oldest cities in the world. Bulldozers, tanks, and jets are reducing neighborhoods to rubble while food and water supplies collapse under siege. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has confirmed famine conditions in Gaza City, with over 500,000 people facing starvation and nearly 300 already dead from hunger, including more than 100 children.
Cultural Erasure
The essay details the destruction of historic and religious sites: the Great Omari Mosque, the Qasr al-Basha fortress, the Barquq Castle, Roman cemeteries, and even Anthedon Harbor dating back to 1100 B.C. Hedges compares this obliteration of memory to the destruction of mosques in Bosnia, arguing the aim is to eliminate Palestinian history and replace it with myth.
The Politics of Denial
Hedges contends that erasing Gaza’s heritage enables Israel to sustain a narrative of victimhood and avoid confronting its violent past. Banning public commemorations of the Nakba and prohibiting Palestinian flags are cited as part of a wider campaign to suppress historical truth. In his view, this denial calcifies society, fuels illusions, and prevents regeneration or reform.
Lessons From History
Referencing South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Hedges stresses that only by acknowledging verifiable facts and confronting atrocities can societies move toward healing. Without this reckoning, he warns, Israel risks not only destroying Gaza but also undermining itself from within.
Source: https://countercurrents.org/2025/08/israels-assassination-of-memory/