The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been ongoing for a long time, dating back to the wave of independence when countries freed themselves from colonialism at the end of World War II. Palestine is a territory still under Israeli colonization. It is a country established after World War II. The formation of the State of Israel is similar to that of the United States and Australia in that they are new nations formed through colonization. They are settlers who arrived on new land and sought to control it by eliminating the indigenous population. The difference is that the Palestinian people are still fighting for independence from ongoing occupation. This article will discuss the silence of various strategic actors who should have firmly supported Palestine and the cessation of the genocide in Gaza.
Israeli Atrocities in Gaza
The Israeli occupation of Palestine continues to this day and has become even more brutal. Prior to October 7, 2023, Israel consistently attacked the Palestinian people every year under various pretexts, most of which were based on self-defense. Since October 7, 2023, Israeli attacks have continued daily, claiming tens of thousands of lives, mostly children and women (Shurafa & Khaled, 2025). According to Rachel Fieldhouse’s article, an independent survey found new evidence suggesting that the number of victims exceeds previous estimates of more than 80,000 (Fieldhouse, 2025).
This cruelty is ongoing as of this writing and cannot be adequately described by the attacks’ targets and the number of lives lost as a result. Furthermore, Israel has violated numerous international laws, including those it has ratified. These violations include war crimes and crimes against humanity; the use of starvation as a weapon of war; violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention; collective punishment and perfidy; attacks on healthcare and humanitarian workers; obstruction and restrictions on humanitarian aid; violations of the rights of children and disabled persons; and recent military strikes beyond Palestinian territories (Baboolal, 2024; Joseph, 2024; Sayegh, 2023; UNHR, 2024). These atrocities have prompted South Africa to file a complaint against Israel at the ICJ for genocide.
Even worse, these atrocities are being witnessed live by the entire international community and world leaders. Despite thorough documentation of these atrocities, Israel continues its attacks in Gaza. This has not deterred Israel nor prompted the international community to take firm and concrete action to stop the injustices and atrocities committed by Israel in Gaza. The genocide in Gaza has revealed who the pro-injustice actors are. Here, pro-injustice is defined as acts of approval or acquiescence toward injustice occurring before one’s eyes with full awareness. This can also be associated with remaining silent in the face of injustice. Often, words do not align with actions, therefore judgment should be based on actions, not words.
Pro-injustice Stance
In general, this stance can be classified into two categories: (i) the silence of international human rights organizations, and (ii) the silence of international actors with identity similarities. This classification is based on observations of actors who should have reacted to defend Gaza, yet remained silent. Additionally, it is based on the factors that drive actors to take a stance, whether in the form of ideas or internalized identities.
The Silence of International Actors of Human Rights Buzzwords
Human rights are a fundamental, universal concept recognized by nearly all nation-states worldwide. Western actors often champion this concept to spread democratic ideas throughout the world. Therefore, countries with democratic principles are generally vocal about fighting for human rights, especially Western countries. Unfortunately, however, human rights are only enforced against non-democratic actors who violate them. When democratic countries commit these violations, however, they tend to remain silent and hesitate to speak out. This suggests that their shared identity as Western democratic countries is more important to them than the idea of justice they have fought for.
Despite committing human rights violations against the Palestinian people, Freedom House categorizes Israel as “fully free” (Freedom House, 2025). This contradicts Israel’s actions of restricting independent journalists from covering events in Palestinian territories. This reality invalidates the idea that democracy goes hand in hand with the enforcement of human rights. Even more shocking is that, in a survey, the majority of Israelis said they wanted the Palestinians killed. Although this attitude contradicts the concept of human rights, several Western democracies continue to openly side with Israel.
The Silence of International Actors of Identity Similarity
Identity is one of the key factors influencing an actor’s behavior. As part of the international community, the Palestinian people share many identity similarities with various state actors around the world. Broadly speaking, these similarities encompass two things: first, a shared identity with various Arab countries, and second, a shared religious background with various Muslim countries. These two identities have one thing in common: they are both unable to stop the genocide in Gaza.
Palestine and Arab countries have a long history together. This solidarity is evident in the spirit behind the establishment of the Arab League, which was motivated by the desire to liberate Palestine from Israeli occupation. This shared identity is also reflected in the creation of Pan-Arabism, a common ideology that shares the same goal of liberating Palestine. However, this shared identity is increasingly eroded by the domestic interests of individual countries. Arab countries’ resistance to Israel has weakened over time, and several dominant Arab countries have established diplomatic relations with Israel. These relations create a dilemma for Arab countries when forming a stance amid Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
On the other hand, Palestine shares a common identity with Muslim countries around the world. While not all Palestinians are Muslim, most are. Beyond numbers, this shared identity stems from the perception that the conflict is religious (between Islam and Judaism). This religious identity significantly impacts the ability to secure support from countries with Muslim majorities, particularly from their populations. However, these countries have yet to achieve strong unity, leaving them without the power to alter the current situation. Several Muslim countries, such as Indonesia, are quite vocal in raising the Palestinian issue at the UN, but this has not significantly impacted the genocide in Gaza.
Arab countries and countries with Muslim majorities continue to show their support by providing humanitarian aid. However, this aid is futile because it does not address the root cause: stopping the genocide. Moreover, much of this aid is unable to cross the Egyptian border to reach Gaza. It seems that the aid is only being provided to show support for the Palestinians and fulfill minimum expectations.
Conclusion
Colonialism must be eradicated from the earth. Freedom will never be achieved as long as there are areas affected by colonialism. However, most global actors are unable to take a firm stance against the colonialism evident in Israel’s destruction of the Palestinian people in Gaza. The silence of various actors regarding this incident also suggests that they support injustice. Therefore, some countries with similar identities are trying to provide humanitarian assistance, even though they cannot stop the genocide, just to avoid negative perceptions of themselves. Regardless of the reasons, Israel’s atrocities in Gaza must stop in the name of Justice. However, despite the many reasons that can be cited, few nations possess the capability or political will to stop them.
References
Baboolal, S. (2024, February 25). UN report calls for accountability for violations of international law in Israel and Palestine – JURIST – News. https://www.jurist.org/news/2024/02/un-report-calls-for-accountability-for-violations-of-international-law-in-israel-and-palestine/
Fieldhouse, R. (2025). First independent survey of deaths in Gaza reports more than 80,000 fatalities. Nature, 643(8071), 311–312. https://doi.org/10.1038/D41586-025-02009-8;SUBJMETA=222,454,689,692,699,706;KWRD=DISEASES,GOVERNMENT,POLITICS
Freedom House. (2025). Israel: Country Profile | Freedom House. https://freedomhouse.org/country/israel
Joseph, J. (2024, December 31). UN experts say Israel has systematically violated international law – JURIST – News. https://www.jurist.org/news/2024/12/un-experts-condemn-israels-systematic-assault-on-international-law/
Sayegh, N. (2023, December 30). No Justice, No Peace: A List of Israeli War Crimes Since Oct. 7 | Institute for Palestine Studies. https://www.palestine-studies.org/en/node/1654922
Shurafa, W., & Khaled, F. (2025, June 11). More than 55,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, Gaza health officials say | The Associated Press. https://www.ap.org/news-highlights/spotlights/2025/more-than-55000-palestinians-have-been-killed-in-the-israel-hamas-war-gaza-health-officials-say/ UNHR. (2024, December 30). Israel’s assault on the foundations of international law must have consequences: UN experts | OHCHR. https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/12/israels-assault-foundations-international-law-must-have-consequences-un