By Eric Gozlan May 2024
Those who read me know that I am not gentle with the Netanyahu government and that I defend the idea of two states (Israel and Palestine) in the Middle East. I did not wait for the Israeli response to Hamas’ terrorist attacks to do so. However, in the face of the current wave of protests and criticism, I can’t help but wonder: where were all these demonstrators and politicians before this last war? Why have we never heard them talk about two states? Why have they never gone to Gaza or Ramallah? The answer is simple: they didn’t care about the Palestinians.
Silence on Assad’s crimes and intra-Palestinian conflicts
When Assad massacred thousands of Palestinians, they turned a blind eye. The world remained silent in the face of the atrocities committed by the Syrian regime against Palestinian refugees. When the two Palestinian factions, Fatah and Hamas, slaughtered each other in a fratricidal struggle, these same critics plugged their ears. This complicit silence reveals an alarming indifference to the real suffering of the Palestinians.
Selective outrage: Israel as a scapegoat
When Israel attacks, they all take to the streets, brandishing signs and chanting slogans. But when the Russians, Assad, or others kill Palestinians, they remain silent like cowards. This selective outrage demonstrates an obvious double standard, where criticism of Israel becomes a facade for an ideology or political agenda, rather than a real compassion for the Palestinians.
Student protests and the complexity of slogans
Young students protest for Palestine, which is their right. However, before protesting, they must understand certain slogans. They shout “Two States” but, at the same time, call for the destruction of Israel with the slogan “From the river to the sea.” This glaring contradiction reveals either a misunderstanding or a manipulation of political and historical realities.
LGBT movements and ignorance of realities in Gaza
LGBT movements are in the streets to defend Palestinians. However, it is crucial that they know that homosexuals are murdered in Gaza, and many of them have sought political asylum in Israel. This ignorance of the real living conditions of Palestinians in Gaza once again shows a deep indifference disguised as solidarity.
The silence of feminist movements
It is also troubling to note the silence of feminist movements in the face of the rapes of Israeli women. When Israeli women are victims of sexual violence, these movements, so quick to denounce injustices elsewhere, remain strangely silent. This lack of support reveals yet another disturbing double standard. Women’s rights should not be selective; they should be defended universally, regardless of the nationality or origin of the victims.
The demonization of Israel in French media
Yesterday, the Israeli Prime Minister was interviewed by a French television channel. A mob was in the streets to scream scandal. How could a television channel give a “criminal” a voice? Where were all these people when Assad or Putin were on television ? The answer is simple: they were silent like cowards. This media double standard fuels a biased and unfair perception of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
General ignorance about Zionism
I amused myself by asking internet users who vomited on Zionists what Zionism was. Not one could give a correct answer. This widespread ignorance demonstrates a manipulation of public opinion and the use of complex terms without understanding their real meaning.
LFI and political opportunism
La France Insoumise , an extrem left French political party(LFI), a political party in decline, hopes to gain some community votes by surfing the anti-Israeli wave. Too bad for them, but it doesn’t work, because the majority of people in France understand that everything is not black and white. This political opportunism once again shows how the Palestinian cause is exploited for electoral purposes.
The crucial question: what Palestinian State?
If I had to debate with Mélenchon or his lieutenants, I would only have one question for them: they want a Palestinian state, which is good, but a large majority of Israelis have been asking for it for years. The question is, what Palestinian state? Because if they really knew the situation, they would have understood that the inhabitants of the Ramallah region do not want to live with the inhabitants of Gaza, that a civil war exists among the Palestinians. So, which Palestine do they want? The one of Hamas or the Palestinian Authority? And above all, how to achieve this state?
Rima Hassen: complicit silence
I won’t talk about Rima Hassen, who is a prop for Mélenchon and who is the most cowardly of all. When Assad murdered Palestinians, she remained very silent. The only question would be: why this silence? This attitude reveals once again the hypocrisy and manipulation of those who claim to defend the Palestinians.
Is Israel criticized so much Because it is a Jewish State?
Finally, it is legitimate to wonder if it is not because Israel is a Jewish state that it is so criticized. This question, although delicate, cannot be ignored. Anti-Semitism, deeply rooted in history, could well play a role in the virulence and selectivity of the criticism directed at Israel. Why is Israel so often demonized in contexts where other nations guilty of human rights violations go unnoticed? This bias reveals a worrying partiality that needs to be examined and questioned. It is essential to ensure that criticisms are based on facts and principles of universal justice, not on hidden prejudices or discriminations.
In conclusion
This article does not aim to unconditionally defend Israel, but to expose the hypocrisy of certain critics who use the Palestinian cause as a political tool without really caring about the well-being of the Palestinians. The path to peace requires recognizing these double standards and sincerely committing to a two-state solution. Criticism must be fair and based on facts, not slogans or hidden agendas. It is imperative that human rights defenders, women’s rights activists, and minority rights advocates adopt a consistent and honest approach, without selecting their causes based on their political biases.
