Outrage at Israel’s US, European allies grows after Gaza hospital blast
Widespread protests sweeping across the Arab world may be indicative of a growing disillusionment with the United States and other nations that support Israel.
Initial outrage had already permeated the Arab world due to the Israeli assault on Gaza. The tipping point came with the bombing of al-Ahli Arab Hospital, resulting in the tragic death of more than 400 people. This incident fueled a surge of anger, leading protesters to take to the streets, declaring their frustration with Western nations and their steadfast support for Israel, seemingly indifferent to the ongoing, long-standing violence against Gaza.
Cities like Beirut, Tunis, and Cairo witnessed confrontations between protesters and security forces, marked by the use of tear gas and water cannons. These demonstrators voiced their discontent with what Tunisians referred to as the "allies of Zionists," with the U.S. embassy in Cairo expressing concerns about rising anti-U.S. sentiment.
As public anger intensified, the people in the streets began to reject Western foreign policies and their efforts to exert soft power. Western soft power takes various forms, aiming to influence people's perceptions favorably toward the West through cultural centers, funding civil society, educational outreach, hosting events, and promoting the consumption of Western cultural products.
In a changing global landscape where powers like China, India, and Russia vie for influence alongside traditional European and U.S. presences, soft power becomes as critical as security cooperation and military might.
Growing frustration over unwavering Western support for Israel's actions in Gaza has led activists across the region to reject this stance, highlighting Western hypocrisy in prioritizing Israeli lives over their own.
"Arab kids don't matter" is a sentiment shared by many Tunisians who view the Western presence in their country as a continuation of a legacy of colonization. Tunisian activist Henda Chennaoui and her peers see the Israel-Gaza conflict as an extension of Western colonialism, predicting that anti-Western sentiments will continue to spread.
"We're angry. They kept telling us that the fight for freedom, democracy, and various rights is a shared struggle," Chennaoui stated. "Now, we see that Arab and Muslim communities and children don't matter. It's time to acknowledge the end of colonization and discuss it."
While Israel maintains diplomatic relations within the Arab world and beyond, its strongest bond is with the United States, which provides significant military aid annually.
On October 18, U.S. President Joe Biden visited Israel to demonstrate his support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government. During a public appearance in Tel Aviv, Biden conveyed, "Based on what I've seen, it appears as though it [the al-Ahli Hospital attack] was done by the other team, not you." Netanyahu thanked him for his "unequivocal support."
Gala Riani, the head of strategic intelligence at the security agency S-RM, pointed out that Biden's public endorsement of Israel is just the latest in a series of policies that have made people increasingly skeptical of Western soft power initiatives. This skepticism began with the invasion of Iraq 20 years ago and former U.S. President Barack Obama's shift away from the Middle East.
However, this does not mean that Western soft power has been entirely neutralized. Riani explained, "The U.S. continues to have a certain degree of cultural influence in the region." Nonetheless, the situation is complex, given the tension between elements of U.S. culture, which may still hold sway, and its regional policies, which many people in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) find issue with. Viewing soft power from the MENA perspective reveals its complexity.
Is the West on a Decline?
Within Tunisia and much of MENA, Western influence is facing opposition. In Tunisia, the influential anticorruption NGO, I Watch, announced that it would no longer accept U.S. funding due to its support for Israel. In other parts of North Africa, a proposed law restricting the independence of NGOs gains momentum as the perception spreads across society that many local NGOs are Trojan Horses for Western influence and double standards.
An employee of a European NGO working in Tunisia expressed frustration over the donor government's support for Israel. The NGO's building in Tunis was vandalized by protesters, and the employee, who spoke anonymously to Al Jazeera, acknowledged the people's anger. The employee claimed that the agency had dismissed all its staff in Ramallah following the initial hostilities.
Simultaneously, advertisements for the Russia Today news channel surged following the conflict between Hamas and Israel in early October, possibly indicating that international competitors sense an opportunity in the traditionally European-dominated media landscape.
Tunisian essayist and commentator Hatem Nafti commented, "I think it's going to be very hard for the West to recover from this. It's disappointing for those of us who care about values like liberal democracy and human rights to see those principles undermined in this way." Nafti highlighted how Europe and the U.S.'s actions in Israel have made it almost impossible to argue against the region's autocrats and dictators who claim that the West's true concern for democracy and rights is selective and biased, particularly concerning non-white populations.
The implications of Europe's solidarity with Israel without urging restraint in its military operations on Gaza, as required by international humanitarian law, may come at a high cost, as noted by Hiltermann. We kindly request you to disseminate this news and provide your insights in the comments section. Thank you
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