Less than a year after Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, Gaza, and the Sinai Peninsula, Jewish philosopher Yeshayahu Leibowitz penned an article titled “The Territories” criticizing the Israeli occupation and its imposition of a military regime on millions of Palestinians.
From this critique emerged the now-famous slogan: “The occupation corrupts”—a phrase that became central to the moral arguments of liberal Zionists.
For many liberal Zionists, the crimes of the occupation are seen less as an injustice to Palestinians and more as a stain on their moral standing.
Palestinians are not viewed as individuals with their own stories but as mere scenery in a narrative liberal Zionists construct about themselves.
When a Palestinian dies, these individuals often frame themselves as the real victims, burdened by the guilt of being complicit.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir encapsulated this mindset with her infamous remark:
“We can forgive the Arabs for killing our children. We cannot forgive them for forcing us to kill their children.”
Even when admitting to the killing of Palestinian children, this twisted logic positions Israelis as the aggrieved party, as if their morality is the true casualty.
The West and Its Selective Outrage
This perspective helps illuminate recent international reactions, such as the controversy surrounding a visit to Syria by the French and German foreign ministers.
Syria, a nation devastated by unprecedented loss—hundreds of thousands killed, millions displaced, and an economy in ruins—has paid a staggering price in its fight against tyranny.
Yet Western media focused not on these monumental human tragedies, but on why Syria’s new leader, Ahmed al-Sharra, declined to shake hands with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.
The headlines revolved around a symbolic slight to a Western politician, rather than the ongoing suffering of Syrian women and children under the Assad regime.
It seems that those in the Global South are perpetually relegated to the background of stories dominated by Western narratives. Women’s rights, children’s rights, and freedom of worship became tools to advance Western interests, invoked selectively to fit the agenda.
How else can one reconcile Baerbock’s vocal support for women’s rights in some contexts while defending Israel’s actions in Gaza, where women and children have been massacred indiscriminately?
This hypocrisy exposes a Western worldview in which Global South lives are seen as expendable in the pursuit of political and economic goals.
Genocide Ignored, Priorities Misaligned
During the ongoing genocide in Gaza, now entering its second year, the world has witnessed the systematic targeting of hospitals, schools, and civilian homes.
Yet, Western leaders like Baerbock continue to justify such acts under the banner of Israel’s “right to defend itself.”
In stark contrast, the West’s vehement response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, complete with sanctions and condemnation, highlights a clear double standard: violence is tolerable if it aligns with Western interests.
This blatant hypocrisy sends an unmistakable message—those with power can act with impunity as long as their actions serve the West’s agenda. Meanwhile, human rights rhetoric is weaponized selectively, ringing hollow to those it purports to protect.
A Western Lens of Dominance
As poet Mahmoud Darwish observed, Palestinians bear the dual burden of struggling against a Zionist movement that speaks in the name of Judaism—an ideology intertwined with unresolved Western guilt over the Holocaust.
This historical reckoning has shaped policies that prioritize Israel’s survival at the expense of Palestinian lives and freedoms.
Worse still, the Arab world itself has become a pawn, with Western powers supporting authoritarian regimes willing to align with Tel Aviv, further perpetuating the suffering of their populations.
Every interaction with Palestinians is framed around what might soothe Zionist fears or reconcile Western guilt, leaving little room to center Palestinian humanity or the realities of Arab suffering.
A Cursed Reality
In this harsh reality, Palestinians and Arabs at large are forced to contend with systemic dehumanization. The question posed to Palestinians is not how to achieve their liberation, but how their subjugation might better align with Western values. As this genocide continues, Arabs are expected to die quietly, their humanity erased from narratives designed to serve others.
The global response—or lack thereof—to Gaza reveals a troubling truth: in the eyes of much of the world, some lives matter more than others.
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