Why have Palestinians with Israeli citizenship remained generally silent during the Gaza genocide? The answer is not only Israel’s forceful intimidation, but also the limits by which this community has sought to challenge Zionism in the Jewish state.
Israel’s extreme escalation of violence against Palestinians in Gaza following the Hamas attacks of October 7 has sparked an unprecedented wave of global solidarity with Palestine. For two months, protesters have taken to the streets in mass demonstrations around the world. Workers have declared their refusal to transport arms. Activists have occupied offices of political representatives and blocked entrances to Israeli and international arms companies. Students have led walkouts, and businesses have closed their doors in answer to calls for international strike actions. In the context of this global social movement with Palestine at its center, the comparative lack of political mobilization among ’48 Palestinians, commonly referred to as Palestinian citizens of Israel, is conspicuous.
Albert Camus rejected Algerian independence and anticolonial violence in favor of a vision of bourgeois humanism. Palestinians are now encountering similar sentiments, reminding us that humanism is often the privilege of those already living in humane conditions.
The annual settler Flag March is a provocation meant to erase the Palestinian presence in Jerusalem and to assert Israeli dominance. But it is also a sign of Israeli insecurity and weakness.