Israel isn’t somebody else’s problem

When I first got involved in Palestine solidarity activism, at the start of the second intifada in 2000, opponents of Israel were a voice in the wilderness. Among the broad left, there was little understanding of the Palestine question. It seemed too complicated, too obscure – and the relentless propaganda asserting continuity between the fight against anti-Semitism in 20th century Europe and the struggles of “plucky Israel” against its myriad and bloodthirsty Arab opponents was overwhelming.

Today, the situation is transformed. While the Palestine solidarity movement has played an important part, the most important factor in shifting the left’s opinion has been the self-evident barbarism of Israeli wars in Lebanon and Gaza, the palpable injustice of the ongoing expansion of settlements on the West Bank and the increasing identification of the defenders of Israel with right wing warmongers in the West.

Whereas Israel once wooed some on the left with its kibbutzim and supposedly liberal outlook, apologists for Israel’s wars today come across as more unhinged than the most vitriolic voices on the Sarah Palin right of US politics.

But there is still an enormous problem. While millions took to the streets to protest George Bush’s war on Iraq, demonstrations in opposition to Israeli wars draw nothing like the same numbers.

It is important and impressive that some pro-Palestine protests in the West during this war were bigger than ever before – such as the 100,000-strong march in London. But in most Western countries, none more so than Australia, the thousands who took to the streets were overwhelmingly Arabs and Muslims plus the organised left and dedicated Palestine activists. Palestinians might have won the sympathy of broad layers of society, but this has not translated into bodies on the streets.

The explanation for this is many faceted, but an important element is the “it’s not our problem” factor. When George Bush invaded Iraq, millions of people understood that Australia, by virtue of Howard’s alliance with Bush, was culpable. It mattered that we took to the streets to say “not in our name”.

For many people today, Israel might be held in contempt, but that doesn’t translate into a need to get out and demonstrate in opposition to its war of bombings, siege and occupation.

So it is important to start to wage an argument that what is happening in Gaza is not some distant Middle Eastern squabble: it is our problem. Without the support of the Western alliance, led by the US and cheered on by Australia, Israel could not get away with this slaughter.

The US is the most culpable – it arms and funds the Israelis to the tune of billions of dollars per year. But in a world where Israel is increasingly unpopular, Australia plays an important role as well. Our government is an unrelenting ally of Israel, a pressure on the US not to attempt to restrain Netanyahu and the fascist Israeli right.

The role our government is playing in justifying Israel’s murderous policies is at least as significant as the role Howard played in backing the 2003 Iraq war. The hundreds of thousands who took to the streets to say no to war in Iraq in 2003 need to ask: “Isn’t standing against Australia’s support for Israel just as important?”