For two weeks, Israel and the US turned their sights on Iran—and then, just like that, it stopped. A fortnight of phone calls with relatives, making backup plans for worst-case scenarios, ended with a tweet.
Trump flooded the media with disinformation, leaving behind more questions than answers. One moment Israel had acted alone, the next, it had Trump’s blessing; which version was true? Were the US–Iran nuclear negotiations ever sincere, or just a ploy to lull Tehran into lowering its guard? Did Trump start a war just to bask in the glory of stopping it?
Amid the lies, confusion, and contradictions, one thing is clear: no lessons have been learned from the invasion of Iraq. The recycled claim that Iran was on the verge of acquiring nuclear weapons was used to justify Israel’s assault as an act of self-defense. From that flawed premise, Europe’s calls for “de-escalation” and diplomacy seemed unconvincing—especially its insistence that Iran “return to the negotiating table,” a table it had never left. Germany went so far as to thank Israel for doing the “dirty work” and doing us all a “favor.” The NATO chief congratulated Trump for dropping bunker-busting bombs on Iran’s nuclear sites, praising him for doing what “no American president in decades could get done.”
Despite their public spats, the powers are still guided by the same broken moral compass against their own constituents.
For almost two years, the number of people guided by their conscience into solidarity with Palestine has grown. They rose to meet the challenge of the looming threat of war with Iran. They have faced the open contempt of elected representatives and felt the weight of institutional power. A large and diverse number can recall now how it felt when they were demonized – as terrorists or their sympathizers – just for taking part in a Palestine-solidarity demonstration.
So they take matters into their own hands. This week Palestine Action disabled a British military jet, targeting the UK’s material support for Gaza’s genocide. The government responded by trying to ban the group outright as a terrorist organization. If this measure goes through, its members, donors, even supporters on the sidelines could face prosecution under terrorism charges.
Faced with the relentlessness of the Palestine-solidarity movement, our governments have chosen an openly authoritarian path. But Gaza has become a political and moral turning point for an entire generation. The blunt force used to outlaw solidarity will not weaken their conviction—it will only deepen it.
