Masses, rulers stand at odds when it comes to Palestinians' plight
The Palestinian ethnic cleansing provoked widespread outrage and demonstrated the populace's preparedness to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Resistance forces.
The increasing divergence in opinion between governments and the general populace in several regions, including the Middle East, Europe, and Asia, concerning the Palestinian genocide is apparent in the worldwide scale of protests against the Israeli atrocities in Gaza.
In different corners of the world, from Asia to Africa, from Southeast Asia to the Arab Peninsula, and even in the US and Europe, where people are fed up with their governments over the Gaza genocide, the opinions on Palestine between those in power and the general public could not be more different. Despite Muslim states talking about standing shoulder to shoulder with the Palestinians in their struggle against the occupying forces, their support is all bark and no bite, merely putting on a show without the real camaraderie that the masses crave.
In contrast to the governing class, which endeavors to preserve amicable relations with both the US and "Israel" so as not to provoke either nation, the general public engaged in massive street demonstrations all over the globe and even vowed in some Arab countries like Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon to take on the Zionist entity on the frontlines. The Palestinian ethnic cleansing provoked widespread outrage and demonstrated the populace's preparedness to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Resistance forces.
Demonstrations
The demonstrations, which began after "Israel’s" barbaric bombardment of the civilian population in Gaza, continued for the third week in a row. The people's anger against the US and "Israel" was further exasperated when al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza was bombed, and over 800 civilians, including children and women, were martyred in the backdrop of "Tel Aviv’s" strategic preparations for a major incursion into the Gaza Strip.
Since the commencement of hostilities, the Gaza Health Ministry has documented an approximate count of over 4,700 fatalities and 13,500 injuries, predominantly comprising women, children, and elderly individuals. It was believed by authorities that a total of over 1,000 individuals were interred beneath the debris.
Fatima Bhutto, a Pakistani writer, columnist, and the granddaughter of former Prime Minister and President of Pakistan Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, wrote on social media platform X on Saturday that “Israel is not just trying to ethnically cleanse Palestinians; they are trying to empty Gaza of Palestinians, pushing them to flee into Egypt. They are trying to erase what remains of Palestinians on their land; it is so sinister and so hideous, and Europe, the US, and the UK are complicit.”
The Israeli blockade and bombardment of the Palestinians in Gaza have sparked a hornet's nest, which has resulted in protests spreading to vulnerable areas like mushrooms. Officials from both the US and "Israel" have issued security warnings to their citizens and personnel in response to this situation. Protesters in Beirut, Lebanon, expressed their discontent near the US embassy. Similarly, in Bogota, Colombia, individuals chanted slogans against the atrocity near the Israeli embassy. Protesters congregated in the vicinity of a congressional office building in Washington, similar to how birds of prey flock together. Concurrently, protesters gathered in front of the United States consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, to express their opposition to the Israeli assault on al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza.
Nevertheless, the tragic detonation at al-Ahli Hospital, which claimed the lives of hundreds of individuals, including children and women, added salt to the wound, and demonstrations intensified worldwide. The medical facility accommodated both wounded Palestinians and civilians, while also offering sanctuary to the defenseless civilian populace.
The Israeli and American media fabricated the incident by claiming that a Resistance missile struck the hospital, but the international community refused to believe the ruse and continued to condemn Israeli brutality through processions around the globe.
Processions in the Middle East, Northwest, and North Africa
Tens of thousands of individuals took to the streets on Friday to demonstrate against what they called the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.
Following Friday's midday prayers, a sequence of demonstrations broke out in the major communities of the West Bank. Palestine's citizens dispersed from mosques and precipitated hostilities against Israeli military checkpoints located in Beit Lahm, Ramallah, and al-Khalil. The acts of defiance included the throwing of stones and the ignition of tires. In addition to tear gas, the Israeli security personnel also discharged live ammunition.
According to the West Bank Ministry of Health, soldiers' gunfire injured twenty-one civilians in total. Al-Khalil was subjected to increased tensions in the aftermath of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. A substantial protest took place in the West Bank on Friday, defying reports that leaflets bearing warnings from Israeli military drones advised al-Khalil residents against participating in Resistamce-supportive demonstrations were dropped therein. Analogous protests ensued in the vicinity of Israeli military checkpoints located along the Iraq-Lebanon border, traversing Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Morocco, and Syria, after the conclusion of Friday prayers.
The Egyptian authorities had officially authorized and coordinated a total of 27 designated locations for Friday's demonstrations. However, demonstrations in support of the Palestinian cause took place in locations that remained unspecified. Egypt sustains robust diplomatic relations with both "Israel" and Hamas, notwithstanding the prevailing Egyptian public sentiment favoring the formation of an autonomous Palestinian state. During an unofficially authorized government demonstration, security forces detained a sizable number of protesters in Tahrir Square.
Massive demonstrations were held in Yemen on Friday, as a considerable number of Yemeni citizens participated in pro-Palestinian protests across the country. Notable public demonstrations occurred in Sanaa, as well as in the southern region governed by the Southern Transitional Council.
A substantial plurality of Sanaa's residents exhibited Palestinian flags and vocalized that they were fully prepared to offer their lives and blood as the ultimate sacrifice for Palestine. The target audience of this show of solidarity comprised the Yemeni population.
To impede the progression of protesters toward the West Bank frontier, Jordanian security personnel intervened, leading to the apprehension of protesters. In Naour, a municipality located at the Amman border, thousands of protesters managed to gather and organize a demonstration despite the imposition of roadblocks on all routes leading to the border.
The protesters chanted pro-Hamas anthems and voiced disapproval of Jordan's decision to restrict border access. Furthermore, in support of these demands, the demonstrators advocated for the withdrawal of the Israeli envoy to Jordan and the termination of all diplomatic ties with "Israel".
USA
Hundreds of New Yorkers took to the streets in a powerful march, giving "Tel Aviv" a piece of their mind for their brutal treatment of Palestinians. They also made it clear that they weren't too pleased with the US for turning a blind eye to the whole situation. A bunch of folks raised the roof, demanding a stop to the fighting pronto, right outside Senator Kristen Gillibrand's office in Manhattan. Their objective was to pull out all the stops and bend over backward to get the senator and her delegation to put their foot down and speak out against the military offensive conducted by "Israel" in the Gaza Strip.
The march was orchestrated by the New York City Democratic Socialists of America, hand in hand with a motley crew of Muslim, Jewish, and various other organizations. During the assembly, Rabbi Miriam Grossman of Brooklyn spilled the beans about her inside scoop on folks who've been hit hard by the Resistance operation, as well as those who've had family members taken captive. According to Grossman, she knows a whole bunch of Palestinians who are scared out of their wits and on pins and needles when they can't get in touch with their loved ones living in Gaza.
Europe and Asia
In a demonstration of epic proportions in Europe, a whopping 100,000 individuals gathered in central London on Saturday to show their support for Palestine. They marched through the bustling streets of the British capital, leaving no stone unturned in their demand for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
With voices raised in unison, proclaiming "Free Palestine" and brandishing banners while proudly waving the Palestinian flags, the demonstrators made their way through the bustling streets of London, ultimately converging at Downing Street, the esteemed abode and workplace of the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak. Police reckoned that 100,000 folks had joined forces for the "National March for Palestine" put together by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
Turkey enjoys diplomatic relations with "Israel" and the US. The Turkish protesters, however, defied the government’s link-up with the Zionist entity and its supporters, and a significant number of protesters gathered outside mosques in Istanbul and Ankara to engage in protests after the observance of Friday prayers.
In Istanbul, a group of individuals identifying with the Islamic faith engaged in a demonstration where they prominently displayed both Turkish and Palestinian flags, held up signs, and vocalized their opposition against "Israel's" policies in Gaza. Several posters include the message, "Israel, deemed a murderer, should vacate Palestine." A group of approximately twelve individuals, dressed in doctors' jackets smeared with red, transported dolls representing slain infants as a means of expressing their opposition to the bombing incident at the hospital. Concurrently, further participants engaged in the act of burning an effigy of an Israeli prime minister, as well as an Israeli flag. Earlier processions in Turkey were characterized by public anger attempting to gain access to Israeli diplomatic posts in Ankara and Istanbul, as well as throwing fireworks at the Israeli Consulate.
Similar massive protests were also held in Italy, France, Germany, Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
The world has spoken and put its weight behind the innocent Palestinians, unlike their rulers, who are still reluctant to stand for justice and human suffering. In the words of Aleksandr Gelyevich Dugin, a Russian far-right political philosopher who tweeted on Saturday, "Those powers of the Islamic world who dream still of mediation and normalization of the Israeli-Palestine conflict are traitors of Islam and humanity. The Islamic world needs consolidation and solidarity, not palliatives that already undermine Islamic unity. Stay strong and form a pole in a new multipolar world. Let us destroy Western hegemony once and forever. Biden puts all on the New World Order. We accept the challenge. Let us fight back. We need an alternative. The change is possible. The West must die.”