We should listen to the Global South’s outcry on the Gaza war
It’s emerging as the world’s conscience in a war that’s gone too far
is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Asia politics with a special focus on China.
Palestinians and was the first to call for a Palestinian state in 1980. “When I travel the world, leaders often ask me why the Irish people have such empathy for the Palestinian people,” Varadkar said. “The answer is simple: We see our history in their eyes.”
These comments have shone a light on the depth of feeling about the inhumanity of Israel’s war in Gaza, not just among the political elite, but also with the youthful populations of the US and the UK including Scotland and Europe.
Their words bear weight and are worth listening to. US President Joe Biden, one of Israel’s staunchest supporters and the global leader most able to influence the course of the ongoing war—by restricting weapons sales and pushing for an immediate ceasefire in the United Nations— should pay attention to this growing tide of dissent. Perhaps no one has said this as eloquently as Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, when he asked: “Where have we thrown our humanity, why this hypocrisy?” What he said struck a chord. In an interview on 16 March with DW News, the German public broadcaster, he asked why there is “selective amnesia”—suggesting that the difference in treatment and attitude from some Western governments to the extraordinarily high civilian death toll and destruction of hospitals, universities, mosques and churches in Gaza, compared to Ukraine, has something to do with skin colour and the Islamic faith.
Of course, Anwar Ibrahim has ideological reasons to support the plight of Palestinians, and has refused to cut ties with Hamas’s political wing. Popular opinion is also causing him to speak out, given the strength of support domestically. It would be easy to dismiss his demands given his roots in Islamic student politics and the dependence of his government on the goodwill of the strong Parti Islam Se-malaysia (PAS) party. But he has long been an articulate voice on human rights, and what he is asking for is a transparent, consistent and cohesive voice on these conflicts. Ibrahim is not alone.
The Global South is stepping up as the world’s conscience on Gaza. Their views are reflective of a far wider swathe of public opinion than ever before—and they need to be heard.