On Global Palestine: Understanding How We Got Here

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alestinians have suffered from Israeli persecution since the British colonized Palestine in 1917. For decades, the issue was called the Arab-Israeli conflict as neighboring Arab states supported Palestine against Israel.

However, after peace agreements were made with Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994, the Palestinians were abandoned, and the Arab-Israeli conflict was renamed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. There was actually no conflict, only asymmetric persecution, expulsion, and occupation perpetrated by Israel against the very existence of the Palestinian people.

Despite Israel’s lawlessness and brutality, the Israeli state has convinced the majority of the world that they are the victims, though the opposite is true. Unfortunately, most Arab states turned a blind eye to what was happening in Palestine and pressured Palestinian groups to make peace with Israel, even though it is the Israeli side that does not want peace.

There has also been strife between Hamas, based in Gaza, and the Mahmoud Abbas-led Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, which mostly hails from Fatah, the biggest Palestinian party in the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

However, the ongoing genocide in Gaza has sparked a global awakening among non-Arab, non-Palestinian, and non-Muslim communities. From the Spanish government to shopkeepers in Thailand, people around the world have begun to support Palestine in the face of Israel’s genocide.

The keyword here is “eye-witness” because, unlike previous genocides, the one in Gaza can be witnessed by anyone around the world. Thanks to communication technology, particularly the internet and social media, Gazan victims and honest media outlets can broadcast the genocide live, and anyone in the world can watch it.

Attempt to control mainstream media

This is also why Israel tries to control mainstream media, especially social media. The United States, which is supportive of Israel, recently got American business people to acquire TikTok America and castrate it. It is no longer possible to criticize Israel on TikTok, as is the case with Facebook, Instagram, Google, etc. By doing so, Gazan children will be called terrorists, while Israelis, from soldiers to Itamar Ben-Gvir, will be introduced as victims.

Clearly, it is too late for Israel to hide the facts and crimes they have committed in Gaza. They have already lost the information war, and any attempt to rebound will backfire. Anti-Israeli media is so powerful that Israeli money cannot veil every crime. They also can’t carry out their campaigns secretly. Tiktok America is now owneed by Larry Ellison.

Ellison convinced American Secretary of the State Marco Rubio to support Israel, and he appointed Bari Wiess, a journalsit who openly incited against the late Palestinian intellectual Refaat Alareer, leading to his murder, as the new head of CBS News, bought Paramount Media Group, and donated millions of dollars to Israel thanks to his purchase of TikTok. He was caught covering up Israel’s crimes.

Another reason why the world is increasingly becoming anti-Israeli is Israel’s excessive and unrelenting brutality. People cannot bear so many murders, including babies. Every day, news shows the fragmented bodies of Gazan children. The killing of women and elders, the bombing of hospitals, the flattening of cities, and attacks on regional states such as Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, Qatar and Iran have made people think that Israel shows no mercy. Thus, people felt compelled to take action because their consciences could not bear so much evil.

International solidarity grows

Therefore, people around the world began to counter Israel’s crimes. As I write this article, 250,000 people protested Israel in Amsterdam, at a time Geert Wilders, a pro-Israeli politician, praised Israel’s action.

Additionally, some Israeli tourists were attacked in Thailand. Meanwhile, the Sumud Flotilla raised awareness about Israel’s persecution of the Palestinian people, fulfilling its duty and perhaps paving the way for new flotillas.

Popular support certainly affects the political spectrum as well. Some U.S. politicians, who received donations from AIPAC, have distanced themselves from the top Jewish lobby group and stopped accepting new donations, in other words bribes. The recognition of the Palestinian state by more countries is also a result of public pressure.

Amid the ongoing genocide in Gaza, it is nearly impossible to justify Israel’s right to defend itself. Even Donald Trump’s involvement as president can be seen as a consequence of the American people’s eroding support for Israel.

A rare union of people against genocide in Gaza

We are witnessing a rare union of people from around the world against a genocidaire. Palestine is no longer just an issue for the Arab or Muslim worlds, but rather for the whole world. It has been supported by the Dutch, British, Spanish, Irish, Chinese, Colombians, Peruvians, and even Americans and many more.

Remember how many countries were represented in the Sumud Flotilla. Israel did not sink the fleet, but rather detained the participants and deported them. If the flotilla belonged to an Arab or Muslim country, its fate would certainly be different. The Mavi Marmara, which sailed from Turkey, saw the murder of nine Turkish nationals by the Israeli navy in international waters.

Overall, the world is united against Israel, except for the U.S., Germany, and a few other countries. This disapproval will emancipate Gaza and perhaps the whole of Palestine. On the other hand, the silence of some of Palestine’s friends—some of whom are Arab and Muslim states—will not be forgotten or forgiven.