We all have a certain notion of the world and society: how it works, who are the good guys, etc. Rarely has there been a juxtaposition of events that clarifies instantaneously precisely how wrong we may have been.
When Russia invaded Ukraine, there was no doubt in my mind that Putin was the bad guy and therefore The West, in coming to the rescue of Ukrainians, were, morally the good guys. This determination was made much easier, of course, because of Putin’s history of tyranny. Personally, I publicly supported Ukraine, changed my screensaver to the Ukrainian flag and created some pro-Ukraine artwork.
But then Israel began its Genocide in Gaza. If you ever wanted to create a monster much worse than Putin, it would be Benjamin Netanyahu. His legacy and the legacy of Zionism is one of criminality, racism, contempt for human rights law, torture, rape, deceit and Genocide. If ever there was an unambiguously evil action, you only need to look at what Israelis have done in Gaza. They have actively bombed schools and hospitals, tortured and murdered doctors, murdered 14,000+ children. All of this has been well-documented by South Africa in the charge of Genocide they brought to the International Court of Justice. In any case, Israeli politicians are on the record telling the world precisely how they intended to violate the Geneva Convention.
And so, it was with great horror and shock that global citizens discovered that The West aligned itself immediately with the genocidal Israelis. Western governments haven’t listened in the slightest to the wishes of their own citizens. Enormous crowds of protestors filling the streets have failed to convince their representatives to stop supporting the horror of Zionism. Fortunately, there have been a few exceptions like Ireland.
I was one of a number of writers who have spent the past year creating daily Linkedin posts in support of Israel’s innocent Palestinian victims. Linkedin is a platform for professionals. I like to think that professionals have a strong sense of ethics. I believe we all have an obligation to distinguish right from wrong. As a taxpayer in America, a significant portion of the money I earn goes to pay for the bombs that Israel drops on Palestinian kids. I find this situation impossibly immoral. Just as a soldier has the option to refuse to fight, I think taxpayers should have the option to refuse to contribute towards Genocide.
I’ve created hundreds of pro-Palestine posts over the past year plus. Regardless of Israel’s inhuman behaviour, there were always a steady number of pro-Zionist Linkedin members who would continually shriek on and on about “antisemitism” with no regard to logic or justice or the meaning of the word. I would block those guys. On about ten occasions, a post of mine was taken down for violating Linkedin rules. Naturally, they would never tell you why. I would appeal and, on all but three occasions, my post would be restored.
Several days ago, Linkedin took down my account altogether for unnamed “violations”. This has happened to many others. I am by no means unique. In addition to Ukraine vs Israel showing us how immoral our governments are, it is also showing us how much malign influence Israel has over politicians, corporate elites and institutions in the West. “Free speech” is a myth. We have as much freedom as they are willing to give us. You can say whatever you want to say about the evil of Putin. The Ruling Class have no problem with that at all. You’ll get a gold star. But try speaking out against the evil of Zionism and you’ll receive an entirely different reaction.
Also, Linkedin is by no means unique. Try standing up for Palestinian justice on Facebook or Twitter and the result won’t be any different. The tentacles of Zionism spread their bias and malice everywhere there is the possibility of influence. Even if 99% of us wanted to stop America’s support of Israel’s Genocide, nothing will change if the 1% control the government and mega-corporations and the press and social media. Even institutions that have a charter that requires neutrality, like the BBC, have shown transparent bias in favour of the Genocidal Israelis.
I believe that Gaza is a litmus test by which we can judge individuals, institutions, and Humanity. Some issues are very complex and difficult for the average Joe to decipher. Gaza is incredibly simple. It is Good versus Evil. Where do you stand?