The war on Gaza exposes a broadening rift between the Arab public, their governments, and the West. It also brings to the fore a sticky inconsistency in Western discourse on the conflict — especially on display during the first days.
In the United States and European Union, government officials initially threw their weight entirely behind Israel’s bombardment of Gaza before shifting gears several days later to express tepid accommodation of Palestinian grievances.
This brief U-turn would last several days before discourse shifted once again to its default mode, doubling down on its usual unequivocal support for Israel.
This curious yet short-lived adjustment is a missed opportunity that nonetheless indicates a better strategy in the West is possible: one that safeguards lives, promotes equal rights, and ensures a pathway to sustainable peace.
Israel’s disproportionate assault on Gaza in response to attacks from Hamas has reinforced Arab, Islamic – and increasingly – rising global commitment to ending Palestinian suffering.
Grassroots mobilisation erupting across the Middle East — and spreading beyond — clearly signals this trend.
Popular protests are taking place in Amman, Baghdad, Beirut, Cairo, Doha, Kuwait, Manama, Muscat, and Rabat, among other Arab cities, demanding an end to Israel’s atrocities and – more broadly – its ongoing occupation of Palestinian lands.
The scale of the Arab public outcry is reminiscent of two momentous events: the Arab Spring and the Second Intifada, when long-simmering grievances led to contestations and change.
The bombardment of a hospital in Gaza, followed by the ground invasion, proved a turning point: most Arab governments began escalating their rhetoric and policies to match the voices of the masses by issuing a series of condemnations.
Read more: Al-Ahli Hospital massacre in Gaza: Medical staff speak out
They also sponsored a UNGA resolution that called for a humanitarian truce and the unhindered provision of aid into Gaza, withdrew ambassadors or implied such a move, toured world capitals to advance a united Arab-Islamic position on ending hostilities, brokered a truce through Qatari-Egyptian mediation; and most recently, the UAE submitted a draft resolution to the United Nations Security Council calling for an immediate ceasefire.