The recent recognitions of a Palestinian state and the October 10 ceasefire have been followed by a flurry of calls to “deradicalize” Palestinian society. The New York Times editorial board went so far as to compare this deradicalization project to the denazification of Germany after the Second World War. These calls have the situation backwards to the point of farce.

Almost two years after October 7, Gaza lies in ruins. Western governments have condemned the slaughter but continue to shield Israel, while Trump and Netanyahu push a “peace plan” critics see as surrender. With global opinion shifting and cracks widening among allies, the future of Palestine—and the credibility of the international order—hangs in the balance.

Larry Haiven reflects on how childhood lessons in empire, whiteness, and settler-colonial loyalty shaped his subconscious sympathies during the Siege of Vienna. Using historical and personal narratives, he explores why Western nations support Israel, revealing the intertwining of race, empire, and inherited biases in both individual perspectives and global politics.

Public opinion across the West is shifting decisively against Israel as polls show growing recognition of its campaign in Gaza as genocide. Once dismissed as fringe, sympathy for Palestinians is now mainstream. This historic turn raises questions about Israel’s future legitimacy—and whether changing sentiment can reshape entrenched policy.

The West may now be finally waking up to the full enormity of the horrors Israel has inflicted in Gaza. It needs also to wake up to the evils it has nurtured not just for the last two years, but for over a century. It is time we started listening to Palestinian voices, while there are still Palestinians left alive to speak truth to power.

As the Palestinian death toll surpasses 60,000 human beings, Manitobans deserve to know which side their leaders are on: the side of the oppressor, or the oppressed. For those paying attention, anything short of the premier’s clear and unequivocal condemnation of the genocide unfolding in Gaza is cynical, calculated pandering.

What’s unfolding in Gaza is not just a humanitarian crisis—it’s a deliberate, systematic campaign to destroy a population. Mass killings, starvation, and attacks on aid efforts are part of a broader strategy. Western governments, through their support and silence, are complicit. This is not only Israel’s genocide. It is enabled, justified, and sustained by the West.

Canada must act. This means enacting an immediate ban on the import of goods from illegal settlements, in line with Ireland’s example, and working toward a broader policy that rejects economic support for violations of international law. If Canada is serious about human rights, the rule of law, and peace in the region, it cannot remain a silent partner in occupation.

Western support for Israel during its war with Iran and continued assault on Gaza reveals deep double standards in applying international law. Despite rising global protests and civilian casualties, leaders still back Israel while silencing dissent. The situation points to a broader crisis of legitimacy and the erosion of democratic norms across the West.

Today, the vast majority of Iranians see their government as a corrupt, mafia-like regime that is the main cause of their daily misery. Through decades of uprisings, the Iranian people have sought to overthrow this enemy within. But overthrowing the regime is the exclusive right and prerogative of the Iranian people—not of foreign powers.