By Dr. Salim Nazzal
There is no doubt that Israel succeeded in blackmailing the West for more than seven decades, by militarizing the concept of anti-Semitism in a way that has managed to silence any voice objecting to Israeli policy. Only a few courageous voices have emerged among Western leaders, such as Charles de Gaulle, Olof Palme.
We have seen how the West moved with maximum speed when Russian forces entered Ukraine, to the point that sanctions on Russia began immediately. But in Gaza, after nearly two years of brutal killing, the official West is still incapable of taking decisions that could stop the massacres.
All this has begun to raise questions in the West that were previously unthinkable, such as the extent of Zionist control over the West, and the absence not only of courage among Western leaders but also of strategic vision.
The truth that most Westerners do not fully grasp is the scale of damage inflicted on the West by its blind support for Israel, and by allowing it to defy all public opinion and mock every international institution that was established to make the world safer.
There is no doubt that supporting Israel has greatly contributed to weakening the West. Its moral authority has eroded severely in the face of the killing of thousands of children in Gaza children who would not have died were it not for Western support.
What is certain is that the West’s talk about human rights has become a thing of the past, for it has lost all credibility. Moreover the moral collapse of the West is only a prelude to broader collapses, for history teaches us that moral breakdowns usually lead to breakdowns in other areas as well.
Dr. Salim Nazzal is President of the European-Palestinian Cultural Forum
14 August 2025
Source: countercurrents.org