The Gazification of Britain

As I attended the recent Nakba march in London, surrounded by thousands of protesters chanting slogans and waving Palestinian flags, a stark reality became apparent: the British public’s sympathy for Palestine is being co-opted into a toxic narrative that silences dissenting voices. Sara Husseini, director of the British Palestinian Committee, has been vocal about this issue, accusing successive governments of gaslighting Palestinians in Britain.

The statistics on Palestinian deaths since the war began are staggering – over 72,619 have died, with more than 700 managing to flee Gaza for the UK. Despite this overwhelming evidence of atrocities committed by Israel, many Britons feel compelled to walk a narrow line between condemning Israel’s actions and appearing anti-Semitic. This dichotomy has led Husseini to describe “a cruel irony” – Palestinians in Britain are being treated as suspects rather than victims.

The term ‘gaslighting’ is not hyperbolic; it accurately captures the psychological manipulation at play. Imagine being a Palestinian in Britain, watching in horror as your family and friends are massacred, starved, and tortured on live television. Then picture yourself trying to speak out against these atrocities, only to be met with suspicion, interrogation, or outright dismissal.

The pro-Palestinian movement has been reframed by some Jewish groups and politicians as ‘hate marches’, despite Husseini’s assertion that the protests are actually “a protest against the most hateful acts possible: war and genocide.” This misrepresentation is designed to undermine the legitimacy of Palestinian advocacy in Britain. Engagement with Palestinians in Britain often amounts to little more than “photo opportunities” for politicians, such as last year’s recognition of a Palestinian state, which offered no concrete protection or support for those living under Israeli occupation.

The current government’s stance on Palestine is akin to saying one thing and doing another – paying lip service to Palestinian rights while quietly facilitating Israel’s war crimes. The mainstream British media has not helped matters, often casting Palestinian identity as suspicious or extremist. This kind of rhetoric erases Palestinians from the national discourse, perpetuating a culture-wars mentality that pits Muslims against Jews.

Husseini astutely observes that this framing is “not right” and serves only to further dehumanise Palestinians. The struggle for Palestinian rights has been compared to the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa – both involve fighting against systemic oppression and seeking justice for decades of brutal occupation. Yet, just as the apartheid regime was eventually dismantled, so too will Israel’s grip on Palestine loosen.

Husseini remains hopeful that freedom is ultimately inevitable. However, until then, British Palestinians continue to face an insidious form of oppression – one that silences their voices and erases their experiences from public discourse. As long as they are forced to choose between speaking out against Israeli atrocities or appearing anti-Semitic, the ‘gaslighting’ will persist.