Why Gaza Must Guide Our Thought and Action: A Critical Look at Franco Berardi’s ‘Thinking Gaza’

Gaza is the compass. These words, emblazoned on banners at the 2025 People's Conference For Palestine in Detroit and echoed by the Palestinian Youth Movement in speeches and rallies, encapsulate a truth the world has yet to fully acknowledge—but soon will.

Gaza is not merely a place; it is the event that must guide our actions, our thoughts, and our lives. It stands as the most critical location in the world today, where the genocide unfolding across historic Palestine—with Gaza as its most brutal epicenter—exposes the violent foundations of the current global order. It also underscores the immense struggle required to dismantle that order.

Since 2023, countless writers have turned their attention to Gaza, as they must. Ignoring Gaza means ignoring the heart of the crisis. Any discourse that does not confront the sheer inhumanity of the present moment aligns, by default, with the perpetrators of violence. Thinking about Gaza carries a dual responsibility: to engage with the subject rigorously, avoiding shallow or cynical narratives that exploit the Palestinian struggle; to recognize the limits of one’s perspective while striving to transcend them; and to confront the horror of the situation while envisioning a path toward liberation.

Franco Berardi’s ‘Thinking Gaza’: A Missed Opportunity

In this context, Franco Berardi’s recent work, Thinking Gaza, has drawn criticism for its perceived failure to meet these responsibilities. Despite the urgency of the topic, Berardi’s analysis is seen as falling short in addressing the core issues at stake.

What ‘Thinking Gaza’ Gets Wrong

The critique of Berardi’s work highlights several key oversights:

• Lack of focus on Gaza’s centrality: The book is accused of not fully grasping that Gaza is not just a subject of study but the very axis around which all thought and action must revolve in the Palestinian struggle.
• Insufficient engagement with Palestinian voices: Critics argue that Berardi’s analysis does not adequately center the perspectives and experiences of Palestinians themselves, whose voices should lead any discussion on their liberation.
• Over-reliance on abstract theory: The work is seen as prioritizing philosophical abstraction over the concrete realities of Gaza’s genocide, thereby diluting the urgency of the crisis.
• Failure to confront complicity: Berardi’s text is criticized for not fully acknowledging the role of global systems—capitalism, colonialism, and imperialism—in enabling and sustaining the violence in Gaza.

Why Gaza Demands More Than Theoretical Reflection

The Palestinian struggle is not an academic exercise. It is a lived reality of dispossession, violence, and resistance. Gaza, in particular, embodies the brutality of Israel’s occupation and the international community’s complicity. Any serious engagement with this reality must begin with an unflinching confrontation of these facts.

As the 2025 People's Conference For Palestine and the Palestinian Youth Movement have made clear, Gaza is not just a symbol—it is the lived experience of millions. To think about Gaza is to think about survival, resistance, and the urgent need for solidarity.

“Any thought which bears no trace of the absolute inhumanity of the present has already taken the side of the murderers.”

This statement underscores the moral and political imperative of centering Gaza in all discussions about Palestine. It is a call to action, not just reflection.

The Role of Writers and Intellectuals in the Struggle

Writers and intellectuals bear a particular responsibility in this moment. Their work must not only analyze the crisis but also contribute to the struggle for liberation. This requires:

• Centering Palestinian voices and experiences in all discourse.
• Avoiding cynical or exploitative narratives that reduce the Palestinian struggle to a subject of detached academic debate.
• Confronting the systems of oppression—capitalism, colonialism, and imperialism—that enable the violence in Gaza.
• Thinking beyond mere critique to envision and advocate for pathways to liberation.

The failure to meet these responsibilities is not just a theoretical shortcoming; it is a moral one. The genocide in Gaza demands more than words—it demands action, solidarity, and an unwavering commitment to justice.