Why global activism for Palestinians will reverberate beyond Gaza conflict

After years of Arab countries growing closer to Israel, the events of October 7 have swung the pendulum the other way
Mass pro-Palestinian protests, calls to boycott companies over their ties to Israel, and more, are generating political shifts in Arab countries and the West

Mohammed Sinan Siyech

Published: 7:30pm, 28 Nov 2023

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The 2020s began with dismal news for Palestinians, who saw official state support for their cause in the Arab and Muslim world dwindle significantly. Gone were the days when Arab heads of state centred much of their foreign policy around Palestine’s liberation from occupation by Israel.

In fact, the situation was going in the opposite direction. The Abraham Accords had Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Sudan recognising Israel fully and engaging with it diplomatically. By the middle of this year, many analysts were suggesting that Saudi Arabia could normalise ties with Israel as well, which would be a particularly damning loss for the Palestinian cause given Riyadh’s sizeable influence in the Islamic world.

Yet the October 7 attack by Hamas against Israeli targets and the disproportionate response has changed the regional and global dynamics. Israel launched several campaigns against Palestinians, killing vast numbers of innocent civilians, including children. In response, there were protests around the world by both Muslims and non-Muslims who were shocked by the brutality of Israel’s campaign against Hamas and its refusal to respect international law.

Protests in support of Palestinians emerged around the world, with hundreds of thousands of people turning out in places such as Turkey, Indonesia, the United Kingdom and the United States. These marches and protests had a common theme: calls for an immediate ceasefire and an end to Israeli occupation.

There was also a campaign among internet users around the world to use social media to spread awareness of Israel’s actions in Palestine. This push came despite sustained communications campaigns by Israel as well as reported efforts by social media companies to silence pro-Palestine voices on their platforms. Many users employed different spellings or variations of words to get around the banning of pro-Palestine accounts, a strategy that seems to have won some victories.

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It is important to ask whether these actions are of any consequence, especially as Israel has not stopped its onslaught in Gaza, despite a temporary ceasefire. It would appear they have had a significant impact.

First, countries such as Turkey and Saudi Arabia that were either late to respond to the crisis or moved to ban pro-Palestinian action eventually relaxed those restrictions and have even spoken out against Israel – witness Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan calling Israel an “occupier” at a pro-Palestinian rally last month. This would not have been possible without the mass expression of pro-Palestinian sentiment that even authoritarian leaders could not ignore.

This global wave of activism has also had an economic effect with several high-profile companies perceived as being pro-Israel being targeted for boycotts. Starbucks and its union sued each other over a pro-Palestinian post on a union social media account, McDonald’s came under heavy criticism after offering free meals to the Israeli military and consumers have turned away from both Coca-Cola and Pepsi over their ties to Israel.

Branches of chains targeted by boycotts have been deserted across the Middle East and Southeast Asia, and alternative soft drinks have experienced a revival in some places. Many of these companies operating in Arab nations have had to issue clarifications about the independence of their franchises from the ones operating in Israel, often to no avail.

Even in Western countries, Muslims have started to reconsider their approach to politics given that both conservative and liberal parties have expressed strong support for Israel, often citing its right to self-defence. This renewed sense of interest in their country’s politics has included calls to field independent candidates in elections and punish those from established parties who support Israel.

Civil society activists are also increasingly mobilising in support of the Palestinian people, with hacktivist groups going after a wide spectrum of Israeli targets online, and crowdfunding efforts to set up research centres to promote the Palestinian cause. While such groups existed before the latest outbreak of violence, their impact has been amplified through a combination of social media and physical activism.

As such, while this decade might have started off seeming like a lost cause for Palestinians, it is clear that the current hostilities have brought large numbers of people across the world around to supporting the Palestinian cause and the end of Israeli occupation, even if the leaders of their countries have been slow to respond.

Even after the dust settles in Gaza, it is likely that the activism online and in the real world will hold course, albeit at a reduced rate.

The fact that people around the world now passionately support the Palestinian cause will be a defining factor in Arab politics for years to come – and perhaps Western politics, as well. For instance, Bahrain has already seen some reversals in normalising ties with Israel, recalling its ambassador and witnessing calls from its parliament to sever economic ties.

Countries such as Saudi Arabia that were moving towards normalising relations with Israel will now have to contend with the demands of their people to ensure they are in step with public opinion. Given this situation, much of the activism around the Palestinian cause is likely to crystallise into long-term action, given Israel’s sustained aggression.

Mohammed Sinan Siyech is a doctoral candidate at the Islamic and Middle East Studies Department at the University of Edinburgh and a non-resident associate fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi