For nearly two years, Gaza has endured a campaign of destruction so vast that it has left entire neighborhoods erased from the map. More than 48,000 Palestinians have been killed, over 13,000 of them children. Hospitals have been bombed, aid convoys blocked, and more than 90 percent of housing destroyed. International law defines genocide not just by body counts, but by intent—and intent has been declared. Israeli officials have spoken of starving Gaza, of collapsing it, of driving its people into exile. And while that intent unfolded in real time, Western democracies didn’t just remain silent—they armed it.
The United States delivered billions in weaponry, bypassing its own Congress. The United Kingdom authorized arms exports even as hospitals crumbled. At the United Nations, they used their veto power not to halt the slaughter, but to protect it. At home, their politicians echoed talking points crafted by powerful lobbies like AIPAC, whose financial influence silenced dissent and punished those who dared speak out.
The media played its part too—Western outlets led with Israel’s pain, but buried Gaza’s under caveats and passive voice. Israeli claims were printed as fact. Palestinian death tolls were labeled “disputed.” Genocidal intent was met with editorial silence. It was left to social media, citizen journalists, and the voices of the displaced to tell the world what was really happening.
And still, protests grew. In cities across the globe, people took to the streets, not just for Gaza, but to expose the complicity of their own governments. Some lawmakers began to break ranks. But the damage had already been done. The world now faces the slow realization that it didn’t merely witness a humanitarian catastrophe—it helped fund it. History will remember the victims. But it will also remember who looked away, who cashed the checks, and who made excuses while Gaza burned.
