Voice of Palestine, 23/03/25
In recent weeks, tens of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets in mass protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Their demands? An end to the war in Gaza—not to stop the relentless killing of Palestinians, but primarily to secure the release of Israeli prisoners held by Hamas. This raises a fundamental question: What kind of democracy are they fighting to protect?
Selective Concern: Ignoring Palestinian Suffering
While these protests are framed as a fight for democracy, human rights, and peace, the glaring hypocrisy cannot be ignored. Many of these demonstrators are not opposing Israel’s brutal war machine because of the tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians—women, children, and entire families—slaughtered by Israeli bombs. They are not marching against the deliberate starvation of 2.3 million people in Gaza or the complete destruction of homes, hospitals, and refugee camps. Their outrage is not directed at the ethnic cleansing that continues to displace Palestinians daily.
Instead, their primary focus is securing the safe return of Israeli captives. While every human life matters, the failure to acknowledge the suffering inflicted on Palestinians exposes a deep-rooted issue: these protests are not about justice, but self-interest.
A Democracy Built on Apartheid?
Israel prides itself on being the “only democracy in the Middle East,” yet it systematically denies basic human rights to millions of Palestinians living under occupation. A democracy cannot exist alongside apartheid, occupation, and ethnic cleansing. The Israeli government has bombed Gaza into ruins, cut off food and medical aid, and turned an entire population into targets. What kind of democracy operates like this?
If Israelis were truly protesting for democracy, they would be demanding an end to settler colonialism, apartheid policies, and the illegal occupation of Palestinian land. Instead, their protests focus on their own people while ignoring the war crimes committed in their name.
International Silence and Complicity
The international community, particularly Western governments, continues to treat these protests as a sign of a “healthy democracy” in Israel. But a democracy that only values the rights of one group while dehumanizing another is not a democracy—it is fascism.
Israel’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank mirror colonial and apartheid regimes of the past. Yet, those who champion human rights and democracy in other conflicts remain largely silent when it comes to Palestinian suffering. The hypocrisy is deafening.
True Justice Means Ending the Occupation
If Israelis truly want peace and democracy, their protests must demand an end to the occupation, apartheid, and the genocide of Palestinians—not just the return of Israeli prisoners. Until then, their so-called fight for democracy is nothing more than selective outrage, built on a system of oppression, racism and fascism.
History will remember which side stood for true justice—and which side remained silent or complicit in genocide.