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Is it finally happening? Is the West turning against Israel? Or are we, whether motivated by hope or driven by despair, simply engaging in wishful thinking? The matter is not so simple.

In July, a significant number of countries and organizations the New York Declaration, a strong statement that followed a high-level meeting titled “Conference on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine.”

The conference and its bold conclusion warrant a deeper conversation. What matters for now, however, is the identity of the countries involved. Aside from states that have traditionally advocated for international justice and law in Palestine, many of the signatories were countries that had previously supported Israel regardless of context or circumstance.

These mostly Western countries included Australia, Canada and the UK. Some of these nations are also expected to formally recognize the state of Palestine at the UN General Assembly this month.

Of course, one has no illusions about the hypocrisy of supporting peace in Palestine while still arming the Israeli war machine that is carrying out a genocide in Gaza. That notwithstanding, the political change is too significant to ignore.

Australia’s home affairs minister boldly argued that ‘strength is not measured by how many people you can blow up’

Dr. Ramzy Baroud

In the cases of Ireland, Norway, Spain, Luxembourg, Malta and Portugal, among others, one can explain the growing rift with Israel and the championing of Palestinian rights based on historical evidence. Most of these countries have historically on the edge between the Western common denominator and a more humanistic approach to the Palestinian struggle. This shift began years prior to the start of the ongoing Israeli genocide.

But what is one to make of the positions of Australia and the Netherlands, two of the most adamantly pro-Israel governments anywhere?

In Australia’s case, media accounts argue that the friction began when the federal government an extremist Israeli lawmaker, Simcha Rothman, a visa for a speaking tour. Israel quickly retaliated by canceling the visas of three Australian diplomats in the Occupied Territories. This step was not a mere tit-for-tat response but the start of a virulent campaign by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to wage a against Australia.

“History will remember (Australian Prime Minister Anthony) Albanese for what he is: a weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia’s Jews,” Netanyahu , again infusing the same logic of lies and manipulation tactics.

Israel’s anger was not directly related to Rothman’s visa. That was a mere opportunity for Netanyahu to respond to Australia’s signature on the New York Declaration, its pending decision to recognize Palestine and its growing criticism of Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

Though Albanese did not engage Netanyahu directly, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke did. He answered the accusations of weakness by that “strength is not measured by how many people you can blow up.”

This statement is both true and self-indicting, not only for Australia but for other Western governments. For years, and numerous times during the Gaza genocide, Australian leaders have that “Israel has the right to defend itself.” Since blowing people up hardly qualifies as self-defense, it follows that Canberra knew all along that Israel’s conduct amounted to war crimes. So, why the sudden, though still unconvincing, shift in position?

The answer is directly related to the mass mobilizations in Australia. On a single Sunday in August, hundreds of thousands of Australians to the streets in what organizers described as the largest pro-Palestinian demonstrations in the country’s history. Marches in more than 40 cities and towns, including a massive rally in Sydney that drew a crowd of up to 300,000 people and brought the Sydney Harbour Bridge to a standstill. These protests, which called for sanctions and an end to Australia’s arms trade with Israel, demonstrated the immense public pressure on the government.

The idea of a political crisis in the Netherlands sparked by Israeli war crimes would have been unthinkable in the past

Dr. Ramzy Baroud

In other words, it is the Australian people who have truly spoken, courageously standing up to Netanyahu and to their own government’s refusal to take any meaningful steps to hold Israel accountable. If anyone should be congratulated on their strength and resolve, it is the millions of Australians who relentlessly continue to rally for peace, justice and an end to the genocide in Gaza.

Similarly, the political crisis in the Netherlands, starting with the of Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp on Aug. 22, is indicative of the significant change in European politics toward Israel and Palestine.

“The Israeli government’s actions violate international treaties. A line must be drawn,” Eddy van Hijum, the leader of the country’s New Social Contract party and deputy prime minister.

The “line” was indeed drawn, and quickly so, when Veldkamp resigned, ushering in mass resignations by other key ministers in the government. The idea of a major political crisis in the Netherlands sparked by Israeli war crimes in Palestine would have been unthinkable in the past.

The political shift in the Netherlands, much like in Australia, would not have happened without massive public mobilization around the Gaza genocide, which continues to grow worldwide. While pro-Palestine protests have occurred in the past, they have never achieved the critical mass needed to compel governments to act.

Though these governmental actions remain timid and reluctant, the momentum is undeniable. People power is proving more than capable of swaying some governments to impose sanctions and sever diplomatic ties with Israel, not only through pressure in the streets but also through pressure at the ballot box.

While the West has not yet fully turned against Israel, it may only be a matter of time. The precious blood of hundreds of thousands of innocent Palestinians in Gaza deserves for history to be finally altered. The children of Palestine deserve this global awakening of conscience.

• Dr. Ramzy Baroud is a journalist, author and the editor of The Palestine Chronicle. His latest book, “Before the Flood,” will be published by Seven Stories Press. His website is www.ramzybaroud.net. X: @RamzyBaroud