‘Hijacking, anarchic, extreme’: How some Gazans view international pro-Palestine protesters

From the streets of London to North American campuses to the Sydney Harbour Bridge, supporters of Palestine raise their flags and chant in solidarity.

But in Gaza itself, the value of this support is not always clear. I spoke with three Gazans — two still living amid war, and one now abroad — about how they view the voices raised in their name.  

Their views reveal disillusionment and show that solidarity is complex and sometimes counterproductive.

Palestinian asylum seeker Hamza Howidy has been threatened by Western pro-Palestine demonstrators in Germany because he opposes armed resistance and supports Israel’s right to exist.  

He says the international Palestine movement thinks it knows better than Palestinians themselves, when it comes to what Gaza needs.

“In the past, our cause was hijacked by Pan-Arabism. Palestine became a symbol for Arab regimes, but actual Palestinians were ignored or used… Today we’re being hijacked by what I’d call Pan-Leftism. 

“Now huge parts of the Western left, along with their local followers, push two fixed demands on Palestinians: full boycott of anything connected to Israel — academic, cultural and economic — and full support for armed resistance.