We the undersigned are deeply concerned by the statement “Principles of solidarity” published on the website of the Normative Orders research centre at Goethe-Universität Frankfurt on 13 November 2023, signed by Nicole Deitelhoff, Rainer Forst, Klaus Günther and Jürgen Habermas.
We join the authors in condemning the killing and taking hostage of Israeli civilians by Hamas on 7 October 2023 and we fully agree with the vital need to protect Jewish life in Germany in the face of rising antisemitism. We also agree with the statement’s grounding of these positions in the respect for human dignity for all people as a central part of the “democratic ethos of the Federal Republic of Germany”.
However, we are deeply troubled by the apparent limits of the solidarity expressed by the authors. The statement’s concern for human dignity is not adequately extended to Palestinian civilians in Gaza who are facing death and destruction. Nor is it applied or extended to Muslims in Germany experiencing rising Islamophobia. Solidarity means that the principle of human dignity must apply to all people. This requires us to recognise and address the suffering of all those affected by an armed conflict.
The statement claims that “the standards of judgement slip completely when genocidal intentions are attributed to Israel’s actions”. There is ongoing discussion among genocide scholars and legal experts about whether the legal standard for genocide has been met. Human rights groups have filed lawsuits alleging genocide at the international criminal court and a federal court in the US. Omer Bartov, professor of Holocaust and genocide studies at Brown University, has recently reminded us: “We know from history that it is crucial to warn of the potential for genocide before it occurs, rather than belatedly condemn it after it has taken place. I think we still have that time.” Showing solidarity and respecting human dignity means that we must heed this warning and not close down the space for debate and reflection about the possibility of genocide. Not all signatories believe that the legal standards for genocide have been met; nevertheless, all agree that this is a matter of legitimate debate.
The statement mentions three “guiding principles” for military action: “principles of proportionality, the prevention of civilian casualties and the waging of a war with the prospect for future peace”. We are concerned that there is no mention of upholding international law, which also prohibits war crimes and crimes against humanity such as collective punishment, persecution, and the destruction of civilian infrastructure including schools, hospitals and places of worship. Being guided by principles of international legal standards, solidarity and human dignity compels us to hold all participants in the conflict to this higher standard.
We cannot allow the atrocities to force us to abandon these principles.
Adam Tooze Professor of history, Columbia University
Samuel Moyn Professor of law and history, Yale University
Amia Srinivasan Professor of social and political theory, University of Oxford
Nancy Fraser Professor of political and social science, New School for Social Research
Alice Crary Professor of philosophy, New School for Social Research
Linda Zerilli Charles E Merriam distinguished service professor of political science, University of Chicago
Chandra Talpade Mohanty Distinguished professor, Syracuse University
Diedrich Diederichsen Professor for theory of contemporary art, Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna
Beate Roessler Professor of philosophy, University of Amsterdam
Quinn Slobodian Professor of history, Wellesley College
Cécile Malaspina Director of programme, Collège international de philosophie, France
