By Ramzy Baroud 
The Israeli war of ‘extermination’ in Gaza, per the words of International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan, has made the cause of Palestinian freedom a global one.
Much has been written about the political earthquakes in Britain and France, the first resulting in the crushing defeat of the Conservative Party and the latter in the overpowering of the far right, by a largely leftist coalition.
But these were not the only important outcomes of the July 4 and July 7 general elections in two of Europe’s most influential countries.
One other important, if not unprecedented outcome, was the centrality of the Palestinian cause to the political discourses in London and Paris which, in truth, are only reflections of greater changes underway on the entire European continent and body politic.
For a long time, we have been told that outward advocacy of Palestinian rights is a lost political cause in Europe, where Israel holds a special status due to the West’s historical role in creating, sustaining and defending Israel.
That affinity, however, was cemented by more than mere political traditions. In countries like the United States – but also Britain and France – the pro-Israel lobby served the role of a powerful constituency. Using money, media influence and alliances with other influential political and religious circles, they often determined the future of politicians.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is an illustration of the power of the lobby. Each cycle of US elections is often associated with stories that demonstrate the disproportionate political power wielded by AIPAC.
The latest example was the June 2024 defeat of progressive Rep. Jamaal Bowman, a New York Democrat who was unseated by a pro-Israel candidate. It is believed that AIPAC has spent a whopping 15 million dollars to have Bowman replaced.
The support of the lobby, however, is no longer a guarantor of political success, or failure. This is due to the growing awareness among ordinary Americans of the Palestinian struggle for freedom, the successful counter strategies of some progressives and the changing political demographics of the Democratic Party.
The Israeli war of ‘extermination’ in Gaza, per the words of International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan, has made the cause of Palestinian freedom a global one. No amount of media disinformation, or lobby money can help Israel redeem its tarnished image. Many Israelis, too, have reached that realization.
The horrific war, the steadfastness of the Palestinian people and the global solidarity efforts have all served as a boost for many governments around the world to adopt stronger stances in support of Palestine. The recent volley of recognitions of a Palestinian state attests to this claim.
Moreover, the rising power of the Palestinian political brand has recently allowed countries like Spain, Ireland, Norway and Slovenia to defy the US position which discouraged the recognition of Palestine outside the realm of the so-called ‘peace process.’
The political discourse associated with the recent decisions is as important as the recognitions themselves.
Spain’s socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez linked Madrid’s decision to the “historic justice for the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people.”
The country’s Deputy Prime Minister, Yolanda Diaz, went further on May 23, when she said that Madrid “will continue pressuring (..) to defend human rights and put an end to the genocide of the Palestinian people”, signing off her statement by declaring: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
If such an attitude was confined to a single country, that state would have been seen as the ‘radical’ exception. But Spain is only one example.
Even before the official results of the French elections were declared, President of the Parliamentary Bloc of ‘France Insoumise’ – ‘France Unbowed’ – Mathilde Panot stated on July 7 that the bloc would recognize the State of Palestine within two weeks.
Particularly interesting about Panot’s declaration is that she did not consider the recognition of Palestine as a symbolic gesture, but as “one of the available means for us to exert pressure (on Israel).”
For the left in France, supporting the Palestinian cause was not a liability during a greatly contested election. It was one of the secrets to their success. Despite the Right and Far-Right parties’ relentless attempt to stain the left over its stance on the Gaza war, they failed miserably.
A somewhat similar scenario was repeated in Britain. The Conservatives’ hardcore support for Israel proved worthless, if not a disadvantage. Even pro-Israel members of the victorious Labor were trounced by independent candidates, namely because of their positions on the war on Gaza.
The above assertion was expressed in a statement by Adnan Hussain, an independent who defeated Labor’s Kate Hollern in Blackburn. “I promise to make your concerns against the injustice being inflicted against the people of Gaza be heard in the places where our so-called representatives failed,” he wrote.
The political shift in Europe to a pro-Palestine, or at least less emphatically pro-Israeli position, is happening at a much faster rate than anyone had hoped or anticipated.
Though the war played a big part in this, the shift is expected to grow in the coming years because European voters are clearly fed up with their governments’ blind support of Israel.
They are using their democratic systems to effect real changes in government, thus policies with the aim of ending the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
Responsible governments, like Spain, Norway and Ireland, are responding to the wishes of their people accordingly. Others, including the US, should follow suit.
– Ramzy Baroud is a journalist and the Editor of The Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of six books. His latest book, co-edited with Ilan Pappé, is “Our Vision for Liberation: Engaged Palestinian Leaders and Intellectuals Speak out”. Dr. Baroud is a Non-resident Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA). His website is www.ramzybaroud.net
As much as I do agree with Mr. Baroud, but this “less pro-israel stance” in Europe is mainly a culmination of the ongoing genocide in Gaza. This makes me wonder: is it really necessary to wait until nearly 140,000 people are dead, wounded or missing to take such a stance? How about all the massacres committed from late 30’s (by the Zionist gangs) until 2022? Were these thousands of lives slaughtered
by the zionists not enough to waken the West’s conscience? Perhaps the media played a major role in concealing the atrocities of the Zionists. But one shouldn’t rely on media alone to form an opinion about a certain matter.
Yes, many forget or do not even know about IRGUN and The Stern Gang!!
Sadly, the masses in the so-called West are oblivious to reality as they get their education from their TV News and xenophobic ignoramuses’. Do a google search “Dossier of Zionist-Nazi collaboration sheds light on Zionist movement”
The difference now and in the 30’s is huge. Imperialism could steal land and kill as it pleased because nobody knew and if so it was considered ok because the supressed people were not white and in the western eyes not as developed as the white race. And thankfully it isn’t like that anymore. Let’s do what we can now to help the victims of landsteal and supression. I agree we don’t get all the thruth from media but there are documentaries (Al Jazeera has some good and free watch) and there are books written on the matter. We must all do what we can with our own strength and talent (singing painting moneyraising and so on).
As heartening as the words of the governments of Spain, Ireland and Norway are, don’t forget that their words in recent months always include their support for the state of Israel within the 1967 borders. I.e. they support zionism, albeit a slightly slimmed-down version. Not good enough. It’s blindness to spin their words as support for a state of Palestine ‘in principle’, i.e., not necessarily limited to the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Wrong: they’re affirming Israel’s right to exist, ‘in peace and security’, alongside a puny Palestine. I augur a trap: To save Israel, the powers will make a huge push for the two-state ‘solution’, the icing on the cake being rule in ‘Palestine’ by the PA. Ugh.