Sarmad Ishfaq is an independent researcher and writer whose work has been published by Harvard Kennedy School Review, The Diplomat, Open Democracy, Paradigm Shift, Mondoweiss, and Eurasia Review to name a few. He has also been published by several international peer-reviewed journals such as Taylor and Francis' Social Identities. Before becoming an independent writer, he worked as a research fellow for the Lahore Center for Peace Research. He has a master's degree in International Relations from the University of Wollongong in Dubai where he was recognized as the 'Top Graduate'.
Palestine, the implacable murmurs in humanity’s consciousness, pleads for help, as it has for decades. However, it continues to be perpetually disregarded by the world. It is easier to overlook Palestinian tragedies than it is to help them because this is not what the Western governments, mainstream media, or the state of Israel want us to do. It is easier to shrug off these barbarities than to contemplate what it says about us as a people.
We distract ourselves from the inhumanity in Gaza and the West Bank by drowning ourselves in capitalism, sports, or some other cause that the elites tell us to care about—such as Ukraine most recently. This has been the reality for decades.
This diatribe might seem unjustified, juxtaposed to the overwhelmingly positive support displayed online and in the streets of the world for the Palestinian cause ever since the war in Gaza broke out. However, me writing this small article or you yelling pro-Palestine slogans in London will not end the suffering of the Palestinians. Why? Because the system is rigged. My article might resonate with some but it will not force my government to diplomatically or militarily attack Israel.
Israel is present at the center of a massive agenda that is strengthened by the countries that support it, including the US, the EU, the UK, Canada, Australia, and many others. While these states have experienced massive pro-Palestine rallies, has it changed their respective governments’ policies of support towards Israel? Hardly.
We are weak and subjugated. Let me explain.
There is an order to the world. The sick people who control it have erected a system of control, from the entrainment industry to the media, from medicine to academia. They have told us what is important and what is not. They have sold us lies. We are subjugated under this system and are entranced by the illusion of freedom—a modern form of colonialism.
The Muslim world has been targeted time and again, and no amount of public mobilization, either in the lands suffering or beyond, has ended any of these wars or the ensuing islamophobia that the Muslim community has had to endure. Why? Because this was the elites’ agenda all along, and when you control the masses from behind the curtains, you get away with murder.
As someone born in 1990, I have witnessed illegitimate and barbaric wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Syria, Libya, and Pakistan, supported at times by weak local governments; these wars were pushed forth by the same elites.
Anyone powerful opposing this system is either killed, canceled, or both. Anyone who talks about a shadowy cabal, false flag operations, or even touches on the topic of Israel is called a conspiracy theorist and an antisemite. For them, it is fine to mock Islam and burn the Quran as it is “freedom of speech and expression,” but questioning US support for Israel, speaking up for the Palestinians, or deliberating on the Holocaust is antisemitism.
The phrase “Jewish terrorism” will never be uttered by the Zionist-controlled media, but the terms “Islam” and “terrorism” will always go hand in hand, especially after 9/11. It is always a “terrorist attack” when the attacker is a Muslim or of Arab/Asian descent, but a “lone gunman shooting” if the atrocity was committed by someone else.
“If you want to know who controls you, look at who you are not allowed to criticize.”
Kevin Alfred Strom
Let me take you back to 1974 when the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was more than a paper tiger and threatened this established order. This threat was unacceptable to the US and Zionist-led world order, and eventually, such unity amongst the Muslims was crushed.
Bhutto, Shah Faisal, Gaddafi, Mujibur Rahman, and Anwar El-Sadat were all murdered or died mysteriously. So many coincidences should make one question what happened. Saddam Hussein was supported when his policies were in congruence with US-Zionism goals, as seen in the Iran-Iraq War, but was ousted as soon as he was not needed anymore.
This system maintains that Israel is a democratic, humane, and legitimate state while the Palestinians and Islam are anathema. Israel and the Zionist lobby are arguably at the pinnacle of this structure. The institutions and countries below them exist to maintain the Israeli hegemony.
Isn’t it odd that all Muslim countries surrounding Israel, which is such a small state, have either been dismantled via civil wars/invasions or have been placated via treaties such as the Abraham Accords?
Ask yourself why countries like Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Pakistan, Russia, China, Afghanistan, etcetera, can easily be produced as villains in the world’s eyes, but the US, the UK (especially the British Empire), Israel, and others, who have killed millions and destroyed the lives of hundreds of millions, are seemingly unaffected.
How can Putin become the second coming of Stalin, but Netanyahu is the patron saint of peace and justice? How can Russia be likened to Nazi Germany after it invaded Ukraine? At the same time, Israel, laughably, is touted as “the only democracy in the Middle East” despite its genocide, now and in the past, of the Palestinians. This is because, as mentioned before, the game is rigged, and the hypocrisy is palpable.
Palestine is an immutable part of this Israeli and elites-led agenda. It is a thorn rankling in the world’s consciousness. However, because the system is so anti-Muslim and pro-Israel, almost the entire first-world leadership, many talking heads on the media, and commentators still support Israel.
Social media has been a game changer. Support amongst many world citizens for Palestine has witnessed a meteoric rise due to it; however, the fact remains that Israel will not stop. Yes, there might be a ceasefire or a temporary truce in the future, but things will pick up again, as history has shown us. The global elites will continue to support Israel financially, diplomatically, and militarily no matter what the blowback is from their respective populace.
This current war should prove to any naysayers that Israel is the only country that can conduct genocide outright, while first-world governments can and will do nothing about it. The people of Palestine will suffer regardless of their achieving an independent state, and the world will continue to fail them. Such baggage does not die. Ask Pakistan and India if Kashmir is still relevant.
The plan for constructing the Third Temple and expanding towards a “Greater Israel” is in play and cannot be considered a pipedream anymore. The truth will be obfuscated and the facts distorted. Any world order, such as a China-led one or some sort of multi-polar world where Israel suffers, will be vehemently opposed.
How Palestine refuses to die is nothing short of miraculous. It is not due to the articles we write or the slogans we shout but because God has blessed them with unsurmountable levels of faith. They stand unshakable as a modern-day David, slingshot in hand, against the Goliath of Israel and those who support it. They stand against the system while simultaneously dangling on its precipice. This reminds us that even a solitary candle can illuminate a darkened room.
So, should we stop yelling in the streets, boycotting certain products, holding placards in their support, writing articles, or even tweets? No, we shouldn’t, but we also should not expect the Palestinian situation to change unless there is action on a governmental level.
Palestine deserves much more than hundreds of thousands of civilians protesting in the streets – it deserves countries to cease their diplomatic relations with Israel, it deserves countries declaring war against Israel, it deserves countries economically sanctioning Israel.
Will this happen? It seems improbable, at least right now, because, again, the system is rigged against countries that oppose Israel/US. Any country that opposes Israel outrightly will itself be at the receiving end of sanctions, Mossad-led assassinations, and even war.
No state wants to be turned into another Palestine. No state today is brave enough to become another Palestine or suffer as the Palestinians have and continue to do so.
Until then, we can only write, boycott, and protest.
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