Israel’s Genocide of Palestinians has burst open the Hypocrisy of Western Feminism
A little girl named Qamar was seen carrying her injured sister Sumaya on her shoulder to the hospital in Gaza. The harsh realities of Palestinian children being burned alive, killed at birth, killed in an ambulance, killed in a school, killed in a hospital, and killed in a tent are known to the world. These children are bombed by Israeli forces for merely existing.
Israel’s recent attack on a school in the middle of the Shati refugee camp, a densely populated camp in northern Gaza left 11 dead and multiple injured. Palestinian journalist Hind Khoudary said “The Israeli strike killed at least eight Palestinians, including three journalists and an eight-year-old girl called Zayn al-Ghoul, who was waiting in a queue to receive biscuits from the school”.
Every single day, Israel commits a new massacre and the West just sidelines it. Palestinians should matter more to the West because their government is funding the genocide. But instead of advocating for Palestinians, western feminists have chosen to completely ignore their sufferings.
It is a showcase of the hypocrisy of western feminists who were very quick to condemn the Oct 7 attack and alleged assault on Israeli women even though there was no evidence found. However, now with over 6,000 women and 11,000 children being killed in Gaza by the Israeli military in the past year, these same feminists have maintained a long silence.
According to Oxfam, “More women and children have been killed in Gaza by the Israeli military over the past year than the equivalent period of any other conflict over the past two decades”.
Dr. Umaiyeh Khammash, director of Oxfam partner Juzoor, said: “The past year has had a devastating impact with women bearing a double burden. Many have suddenly become the heads of their households, navigating survival and care in the midst of destruction. Pregnant and breastfeeding mothers have faced immense difficulties, including from the collapse in healthcare services.”
“For children, the trauma is equally profound. Over 25,000 children have either lost a parent or become orphans, leaving them in deep emotional distress. Most children are grappling with anxiety and severe physical injuries, with many having lost limbs.”
While the people of Palestine suffer the utmost inhumane conditions, the feminists in the West have decided to be silent about the horrors of women and children in Gaza. Israel’s genocide of Palestinians has burst many myths of Western hypocrisy and Western feminism is one of them.
Koa Beck, the author of ‘White Feminism’ wrote that the ideology and strategy of white feminism “focuses more on individual accumulation, capital and individuality. White feminism is not about altering systems that oppress women, the systems of patriarchy, capitalism and imperialism, but to garner power and succeed within these existing systems”.
What’s happening in Gaza has burst open the Western propaganda of human rights. It has also starkly highlighted the hypocrisy of Western feminism which is highly selective in nature. This is not the first time that Western feminists have fallen short of morals. This particular form of feminism has always been selective, frequently overlooking the concerns of brown women and focusing solely on issues that are acceptable to Western sensibilities.
We all remember the global feminists’ outrage over the tragic killing of Iran’s Mahsa Amini, who was punished for her improper hijab. But, the same feminists have decided to just ignore the sufferings of women in Gaza because it doesn’t fit the white savior narrative where brown women need protection from brown men and liberalized white women will come to their rescue. The lack of similar compassion and outrage for the suffering of Palestinian women and children exposes a startling double standard and a serious moral failing.
In a widely circulated video online, a white female democratic supporter, was seen yelling “I don’t care about Gaza” to a child. She was yelling at a small girl who was with her father supporting Palestine. The real nature of what is referred to as "imperial feminism" is shown by this selective empathy. It conveniently disregards the problems of women from non-Western backgrounds while selectively addressing topics that suit Western preferences.
US Politicians like Hillary Clinton consider them feminists when it comes to abortion rights of women in the US, while completely disregarding the harsh conditions that women in Gaza are enduring while giving birth.
This kind of imperial feminism is not limited to just white feminists. You don’t need to be white to be an imperial feminist and uphold the values of colonialism, capitalism, and Western supremacy. Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai co-produced a musical project with Hillary Clinton - who has been an unequivocal supporter of America’s genocidal policies of Palestinians. Malala, who stands for human rights globally, took her time to even condemn the actions of Israel’s ruthless slaughter of Palestinians and her collaboration with a pro-war politician speaks volumes for her selective feminism.
Imperial feminists can even be black or brown, such as in the case of Beyonce or Kamala Harris. While Endorsing Democratic Presidential candidate Kamala Harris, Beyonce said, ‘I am here as a mother, not as a politician’, while completely turning a blind eye to the horrible conditions that mothers in Palestine have to endure.
Kamala Harris herself has shown her continued support to Israel and given the nod to supply more US weapons for Israel to kill more children and women in Palestine. Being a mother and a woman of color, one would think she would stand up for women in Gaza. However, she and so many like her have showcased that you don’t have to be white to be a white feminist.
Palestinian women are giving birth in the most inhumane conditions on earth. They don’t have the proper medicine, hospitals, sanitary products, water or a toilet. They are undergoing surgery without anesthesia. They are seeing their children, and their newborns being killed by Israel. You would expect a mother to fathom the pain of these women, but imperial feminists are only concerned when it affects them.
Any cause is noteworthy of Western feminists’ attention only if it fulfills their values of Western supremacy and the burning and killing of Palestinians by Israel sadly do not fit the criteria.
I had written about an immediate need for a ceasefire months ago and since then, the condition in Gaza has worsened. The last functioning hospital in north Gaza has been destroyed by Israel. Can we stop for a moment and think how horrifying it is to live in an area continuously being bombarded and you have no hospital to go to?
Israel’s plan of ethnic cleansing is clearer than ever. Palestinians have been enduring the harsh reality of this settler colonial project that is Israel since 1948. Now with much stronger support from the US, UK, and Germany – all the countries who try to portray themselves as saviors of human rights, Israel is simply executing its plan to kill all the Palestinians.
The silence of Western feminists makes them complicit in this genocide that is being unfolded in front of our eyes. A permanent stoppage to Israel’s killing machine is the need of an hour. The least we can do right now is keep talking about Palestine and hope to see a free Palestine soon.
References:
Al Jazeera locates young girl in Gaza seen carrying injured sister. (2024, October 24). Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/program/newsfeed/2024/10/24/al-jazeera-locates-young-girl-in-gaza-seen-carrying-injured-sister
Beck, K. (2021). White feminism: From the suffragettes to influencers and who they leave behind. Simon and Schuster.
Jazeera, A. (2024, October 28). Plight of Gaza civilians ‘unbearable’ as Israel kills over 50 in a day. Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/10/27/plight-of-gaza-civilians-unbearable-as-israel-kills-over-50-in-a-day
More women and children killed in Gaza by Israeli military than any other recent conflict in a single year – Oxfam | Oxfam International. (2024, October 1). Oxfam International. https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/more-women-and-children-killed-gaza-israeli-military-any-other-recent-conflict
Umar, B. (2022, September 30). Iran ups pressure on celebrities, media over Mahsa Amini protests. Iran Ups Pressure on Celebrities, Media Over Mahsa Amini Protests. https://www.trtworld.com/middle-east/iran-ups-pressure-on-celebrities-media-over-mahsa-amini-protests-61235
Uras, U., & Mohamed, E. (2024, October 29). LIVE: Israeli attack on northern Gaza kills at least 77, dozens missing. Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/10/29/live-warnings-israels-unrwa-ban-will-collapse-aid-efforts-in-gaza
About the author:
Pragati Singh Parihar is an upcoming PhD candidate at the University of Sussex, with a Master's in International Relations from University College Dublin. Former Research Analyst at London Politica with more than four years of experience in public relations. Parihar is also a contributor to Feminism in India and Women’s Web, focusing on human rights, gender equality, and politics. Her areas of interest include intersectional feminism, youth climate movements, and gender-based violence.
