No Ceasefires in a Proxy War

This Green and Surprisingly Pleasant Land ventures in the rough terrain of why the Israel Palestine conflict evokes so much passion overseas

What is it about the Israel Palestine conflict that gives it the ability to influence elections in countries far away from the conflict, threatens violence and mobilises vast numbers of people onto the streets of foreign capitals?

I ask the question in genuine bewilderment, not to denigrate the level of interest but because this conflict provokes passion in ways not seen when it comes to other foreign issues.

It’s not as if terrible things are not happening elsewhere in the world, not least the war between Russia and Ukraine, on Europe’s doorstep. Millions of people have been displaced in Sudan and vast numbers have been killed, yet this is barely discussed.

Without falling into the trap of competitive horror story trading, one thing is pretty clear: while the Israel Palestine conflict is appalling, it is not unique when it comes to suffering.  Therefore the existence of tragedy does not provide a sufficient explanation.

Maybe it is to found in the fact that communities overseas have relatives and friends directly impacted by the horrors of this war. But to be realistic, the Jewish community is very small and although there is a burgeoning Palestinian diaspora, mainly in other Middle Eastern countries, the numbers here are also relatively modest.

There is, however, a much larger Muslim community worldwide which identifies with the Palestinians (who are not exclusively Muslim). Yet most Muslims outside the Middle East are of South and South East Asian origin and therefore highly unlikely to have direct Palestinian contacts.

So, there must be something else here. Unfortunately the evidence points to it being ignorance and racism manifest as both Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.

At first I hesitated to believe that this was the case because, coming from a left wing perspective, I could not get my head around the notion that the left, with an honourable history of anti-racist campaigning, could countenance racism.

On the mainstream right, largely cleansed of endemic racism, Islamophobia has escalated and brought back to life the worst excesses of racism among politicians who are whipping up a frenzy of fear and alarm with wild claims, such as the notion that Muslims are taking over Britain.

There is little by way of civilised debate over this issue. So much of it consists of demonising those on both sides of the argument. Supporters of the Palestinian people are accused of being antisemitic. Supporters of Israel are portrayed as being part of an international anti- Third World plot.

And the extent to which this debate has become delusional is quite extraordinary. You can find leftists who see the unspeakable Hamas and Hezbollah as being part of a global liberation movement. Liberation for who exactly? Both organisations have a toxic attitude towards women, are infamous for violent suppression of dissent within their own community and cart around a whole truckload of antediluvian social beliefs.

Anyone Jewish who thinks that they have forged a lasting bond with right wing zealots proclaiming their support for Israel are similarly delusional because on the one hand evangelical Christians, some of Israel’s most vocal supporters, envisage a Second Coming of Jesus in an Israel free of Jews. The far right European leaders, avid pro-Israel advocates, are being welcomed by Prime Minister Netanyahu who has not noticed or does not care that they have racism sewn into their very fibre. At the moment it is manifested as Islamophobia but these racists are never that far away from antisemitism.

No wonder the debate over Israel and Palestine is so full of idiocy and fervour. That’s not saying that there is no genuine fury and concern over the war but it is to say that the motives of many people actively engaged in campaigns arising from the conflict have less to do with the situation in the Middle East and a great deal to do with political opportunism, stark racial prejudice and a hotch-potch of venting against the injustices of the world by targeting a particular injustice that appears to epitomise everything else that is wrong. What we are seeing is the Middle East is a proxy for a great many other things.

Ultimately the future of the Palestinians and Israelis can only be decided by these communities themselves. Obviously outside influences have an impact which should at the very least be motivated by humanitarian concern but in the long term what matters is the people on the ground.

To this end those of us overseas should be focusing efforts on supporting Israelis and Palestinians who are defying their leaders and trying to find a democratic solution which respects the rights of both communities. They are in the minority and have a big hill to climb. All the more reason to focus efforts on helping them.