Lost impunity: Israel’s waning global support over its genocide in Gaza

“Burning children alive can never be justified. The whole world is mobilising to stop the Israeli genocide. Please show your solidarity with Gaza” wrote British popstar Dua Lipa in May 2024.  She is one of many global celebrities who have not only distanced themselves from Israel but condemned it without reservations for its genocidal war on Gaza. Once shielded by sympathy and narratives of survival, Israel now faces a tide of global contempt. From university campuses to Western parliaments, and from African capitals to the entertainment industry, anger toward the Jewish state has become widespread and unrelenting.

Despite robust support from mainstream media outlets in the U.S., UK, and parts of Europe, Israel’s image has been irreparably tarnished. Its relentless bombing of civilians, attacks on hospitals, and its illegal occupation of the West Bank have shattered the usual silence in the West about whatever the Jewish State does. The old shield of invoking “anti-Semitism” to deflect criticism has become threadbare—used so excessively it now echoes more as a political deflection than a moral truth. Many are now questioning whether laws criminalising criticism of Israel—often labeled “anti-Semitism”—should be revised in light of what Israel has done and continue to do in Gaza.

Fractures in Western institutions

The rupture in global sentiment toward Israel is perhaps most visible in Western institutions, where support was once unquestioned. In the U.S., lawmakers such as Rep. Rashida Tlaib and Sen. Bernie Sanders have publicly condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza, calling for an end to military aid and labelling the campaign a “massacre.” In January 2024, Sanders introduced a resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire and a reassessment of U.S. funding. Across Europe, Spain’s parliament passed a motion condemning Israel’s Gaza operation as “genocide.” Ireland’s Dáil declared Gaza a “zone of mass atrocities.” Australia and the UK have even imposed sanctions on two Israeli ministers with history of supporting ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. These aren’t fringe voices—they are sitting officials, influential lawmakers, and veteran diplomats. The backlash has exposed deep fractures inside institutions that once offered Israel near-automatic support.

Academia and the erosion of fear

Perhaps no shift is more telling than the revolt within academia. Once intimidated by the threat of career harm or accusations of anti-Semitism, students and faculty staff across North America and Europe now openly defy those taboos. Universities like Columbia, NYU, Oxford, and France’s Sciences Po, stage encampments, sit-ins, and walkouts in protest against Israeli policies. Medical and anthropological associations have even suspended collaborations with Israeli universities due to Gaza’s hospital bombings. What was once whispered in seminars is now shouted in lecture halls. The fear has been lifted and replaced by moral urgency. Across disciplines from law to literature, Israel’s image has shifted from a vulnerable state to an aggressor that should be held accountable.

The cultural turning point

The cultural sphere, once a bulwark of passive support for Israel, has also shifted dramatically. Roger Waters of Pink Floyd has headlined Gaza solidarity events, even reuniting with band mates for pro‑Palestinian causes. Actors like Susan Sarandon and writers such as Junot Díaz have publicly endorsed Palestinian rights. At the Cannes Film Festival, Leonardo DiCaprio joined calls for a ceasefire. Athletes including NBA star Kyrie Irving have joined protests and refused engagement with Israeli teams. Even Nobel laureates have issued solidarity statements. Cultural legitimacy—once a cornerstone of Israel’s soft power—is now collapsing under global disgust.

The Global South turns loudly

Outside the West, the tide against Israel is even more pronounced. South Africa’s genocide case at the ICJ has become a rallying cry of postcolonial resistance. In December 2023, Pretoria filed a formal complaint accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza. Colombia and Bolivia have withdrawn their ambassadors. In Africa, protesters in Kenya criticised the government’s silence, while Algeria and Namibia issued some of the continent’s strongest condemnations. The narrative in the Global South has shifted from “conflict resolution” to “decolonisation” and a fight against “apartheid.” In this landscape, Israel is increasingly viewed less as a democracy and more as a colonial aggressor on borrowed moral time.

The hollowing of a shield

For decades, accusations of antisemitism deterred criticism of Israel. However, the horrific images from Gaza have unravelled that shield. Even prominent Jewish voices, scholars and Holocaust survivors now distinguish between anti-Jewish hatred and criticism of Israeli state violence. Organisations like Jewish Voice for Peace and intellectuals including Noam Chomsky have criticised this conflation as both morally wrong and strategically inept. This growing clarity is puncturing the moral exceptionalism Israel once relied on—and challenging Western societies to separate antisemitism from legitimate outrage.

Cracks in the strategic West

The diplomatic cost of defending Israel is now real. South Africa’s ICJ case has inspired others—including Ireland, Malaysia, and Indonesia—to join a Hague Group initiative to defend international justice. Arab normalisation deals, once seen as inevitable under U.S. tutelage, have become politically toxic. Even NATO members like Turkey and Spain increasingly face domestic pressure to recalibrate support. The strategic alliance that once framed “Western unity” around Israel is fragmenting. What was once a sought-after partner—Israel, the high-tech democratic outpost—now finds itself diplomatically hazardous in many regions.

A tarnished legacy and a long road back

To restore its international standing Israel will need decades of work —if it happens at all. The damage isn’t just reputational; it’s generational. A new cohort of global citizens—students, diplomats, journalists—have come of age during a blatant Israeli genocide which they view as morally indefensible. The days of automatic Western sympathy are gone. While pro-Israel lobbies scramble to control the narrative, the world is already moving on—with different sympathies, sharper questions, and a renewed sense of justice. If the Gaza war has done anything, it has ended Israel’s impunity from consequence.

One of the most troubling contradictions exposed by Israel’s wartime conduct is the way it has hollowed out the meaning of ‘antisemitism.’ Once a term meant to safeguard Jewish communities from real hatred, it is now deployed so indiscriminately that it risks losing all moral weight. Paradoxically, Israel’s actions have stoked—not reduced—hostility toward Jews in parts of Europe and the United States. In claiming to act on behalf of all Jews, the Israeli state has not sacrificed its own reputation or narrative of historical victimhood; instead, it has made Jewish communities more vulnerable to backlash and suspicion.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.