“If the bell tolls for Israel, it won't just toll for Israel, it will toll for all mankind.”
--The Observer
Recent times have seen a proliferation of pro-“Palestine” protests across Western university campuses, ostensibly framed within the context of anti-war sentiments. Yet, beneath this facade lies a deeper narrative—one of entrenched tyranny and oppression. This narrative, carefully cultivated over decades through targeted propaganda and coordinated campaigns, seeks to portray Israel as the epitome of oppression, while championing the Palestinian cause as a symbol of resistance against tyranny. As these protests unfold, it becomes increasingly evident that they are not spontaneous expressions of solidarity, but rather calculated maneuvers in a broader ideological struggle—one that pits the forces of tyranny against those of freedom and democracy.
Without knowledge of the region, and as a result of billions of dollars spent by Arabs in propaganda campaigns, it becomes easy to accept their narrative; in which, the Jews invaded, and stole a country called Palestine. However, some P.L.O. leaders, like Zuheir Mohsen, never hesitated to express their knowledge of the facts. Mohsen himself stated that “[the] Palestinian people do not exist […] in reality there is no differences between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians, and Lebanese.” Mohsen elaborated on this notion further in a 1977 interview with a Dutch newspaper, where he stated, “just for political reasons we carefully underwrite our Palestinian identity […] because it is of national interest for the Arabs to advocate the existence of Palestinians to balance Zionism [...] yes, the existence of a separate Palestinian identity exists only for tactical reasons.” In 1964, the idea of a Palestinian people, rejected until then, was born in the minds of the Egyptian President of the time, Gamal Abdel Nasser, and Yasser Arafat, an Egyptian born in Cairo claiming to be a Palestinian refugee, a descendant from the great Mufti of Jerusalem, a Nazi who was responsible for the murderous riots of the 1920s and 30s in the former British mandate. This idea created by this duo enabled the eventual establishment of the P.L.O., which was aided by the Russian KGB whose interests were not to bring justice to a people, but to establish a Soviet satellite state in the region exploiting existing sentiments of anti-Semitism in the Arab world from the remnants of Nazi Germany. Notably, the P.L.O. did not challenge Jordanian rule over the regions of Judea and Samaria, now widely known as simply the West Bank, nor Egyptian rule over Gaza, only calling for the destruction of Israel. This very notion gave rise to the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanction (BDS) movement, an organisation dedicated to turning public opinion against Israel, whose co-founder Omar Barghouti famously stated, “most definitely, we oppose a Jewish state in any part of Palestine.”
These pro-“Palestine” protests at several elite universities in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States have showcased a bizarre, and startling phenomenon showcasing thousands of students seemingly protesting against their own countries, and supporting tyrannical regimes such as Iran, as well as expressing widespread sympathies with terrorist organisations such as Hamas. A clear example of this was an ANU anti-Israel activist stating in an ABC radio interview that “Hamas deserves our unconditional support.” An even more perplexing case is the popular global grouping “Queers for Palestine” which advocates against Israel despite the country being the only Middle Eastern nation to recognise same-sex marriage, whilst in Iran, the country who supports and provides resources to Hamas, LGBTQIA+ people face the death penalty. Yet these protests are not just protesting against Israel, but also against other Western countries too. In Manhattan, nearly 30 protesters were arrested for burning the American flag, as well as vandalising a statue dedicated to Americans who bravely fought in the First World War. Over in Britain, protesters were even more upfront about their agenda against the West, and called for Houthi rebels to keep hijacking British ships travelling through the region.
This anti-Western phenomenon is not just an anomaly, in fact it symbolises the wider geopolitical scenario in the region. Israel, since its’ establishment following the War of Independence, has been the only liberal democracy in the region as well as the West’s closest ally in the Middle East, a shining beacon of light of key components which we hold dear in Western nations. Israel boasts a robust system of democratic governance with free and fair elections, and media outlets enjoy relative freedom. Compare this to the Islamic Republic of Iran which is governed by a theocratic regime where ultimate authority rests with religious clerics, and while Iran does hold elections, candidates are known to be vetted by religious authorities, and the general process is tightly controlled. In Israel, despite several challenges, Arabs who are citizens in Israel legally are entitled to the same rights as Jewish citizens, including representation in the Knesset. Meanwhile in Iran, the government restricts the rights of minority groups, including Kurds, Baha'is, and Ahwazi Arabs, denying them equal opportunities and often subjecting them to violence and harassment, not to mention the regime’s abhorrent treatment of women under notoriously harsh religious Sharia law. Through this examination a clear distinction emerges between a tyrannical regime, and a flawed liberal democracy.
It was former Labor Prime Minister Bob Hawke who stated, “if the bell tolls for Israel, it won't just toll for Israel, it will toll for all mankind.” The broader significance of Israel's fate beyond its immediate borders is immense. As the sole liberal democracy in the Middle East, Israel's survival represents not only the preservation of democratic values but also the protection of human rights and freedoms in a region marred by tyrannical forces.