West’ Guilty Silence on Gaza Shatters Its Self-Styled Moral Leadership

Rabat – Observers and policymakers across the world are speaking out against the West’s hypocrisy and double standards in its response to the Palestine crisis compared to the Ukraine war.

For four weeks, Israel has been bombing the Gaza Strip nonstop, with the death toll reaching nearly 10,000 and over 26,000 injured as of Sunday. Despite the ongoing massacre, Israel continues to receive military aid from the US.

Meanwhile, Western governments were quick to condemn Russia for violating international law when it launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The onset of the Ukraine triggered international uproar, and the international economy suffered as the West imposed its toughest set of sanctions on Russia in history.

Israel’s massacres in the Gaza Strip and deliberate attacks targetting civilian infrastructure have sparked widespread protests in cities across the West. Yet, governments in the West are dragging their feet when it comes to condemning Israel’s war crimes and its full-scale blockade of the enclave since 2007.

“Observers in the developing world say the West has been far more reluctant to forcefully condemn Israel both for the enduring occupation and for not doing enough to prevent the deaths of thousands of civilians in its ongoing assault on Gaza,” Foreign Policy, a think tank says.

The US government, which largely funds Israel’s war in Gaza, has strongly denounced Hamas’s October 7 attack that left 1400 casualties in southern Israel. But so far, the US has not moved to pressure Israel into a ceasefire even as the death toll is now reported to have reached 10,000.

Observers decry the West’s “selective” outrage and its guilty silence over the unfolding genocide in Gaza. Even more striking, Western leaders have evenly persisted in comparing Ukraine to Israel.

European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, compared Israel’s role in the conflict to Ukraine’s defence against Russia on October 22. “These conflicts have one thing in common: They are about the struggle between those who seek peace, balance, freedom and cooperation—and those who do not want any of this because they profit from the chaos and disorder,” she said.

This scandalous suggestion that Israel is the victim in its war against Palestinians came at a time when Israel’s air raids caused nearly 5,000 deaths in Palestine.

It wasn’t until Israel repeatedly bombed hospitals and schools that some Western leaders, including von der Leyen, called on Israel to respect humanitarian law in Gaza. After U.S. pressure, Israel reversed its decision to cut off Gaza’s water supply and restored the enclave’s telecommunications network.

It wasn’t after Israel repeatedly bombed hospitals and schools that some Western leaders including von der Leyen are now calling on Israel to respect humanitarian law in Gaza. After U.S. pressure, Israel reversed its decision to cut off Gaza’s water supply and restored the enclave’s telecommunications network.