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Allies to Adversaries: Waning Global Support for Israel
A pro-Hamas march in London, United Kingdom, Feb. 17, 2024. Photo: Chrissa Giannakoudi via Reuters Connect
The aftermath of Hamas’ brutal assault on Oct. 7th, 2023 — resulting in 1,200 deaths and leaving Israel shaken — has exposed a concerning global trend.
The Jewish State, defending itself against an existential threat, finds itself under fire from well-known adversaries — but also from nations that have long been considered allies.
A troubling shift in rhetoric and policy reveals a prevalent bias against Israel, calling into question the commitment of Western democracies to principles of fairness and justice.
Across Europe, protests and political narratives blur the distinction between valid criticism of Israeli war tactics and outright bigotry. The United Kingdom has seen over 100,000 people march in pro-Palestinian rallies since the October attacks, many which support Hamas and call for violence against Jews.
While these events often claim to advocate for Palestinian rights, chants such as “From the river to the sea” — a call for Israel’s destruction — are alarmingly common, as are acts of physical violence. London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, has refrained from condemning such slogans despite growing concerns from Jewish communities about a surge in antisemitism.
France has seen a similar spike in bigotry, with hundreds of antisemitic incidents reported in the past year alone. Jewish schools and synagogues have been targeted, further alienating Jewish citizens.
Meanwhile, in Spain, prominent left-wing politicians like Ernest Urtasun have framed Israel as the aggressor, while failing to condemn Hamas’ war crimes, and Hamas’ use of human shields and hostage-taking. Selective outrage, as seen in Spain, underscores a troubling trend in Western Europe, where anti-Israel activism often spills over into antisemitism.
In the United States, a historical stronghold of support for Israel, cracks are appearing, particularly within the Democratic Party. Numerous Democratic lawmakers have pushed for ceasefires without acknowledging Hamas’ use of civilians as human shields — or repeating President Biden and Kamala Harris’ promise that Hamas will not be allowed to retain power in Gaza. Not only that, but some Democrats are blaming support for Israel for their resounding defeat in a presidential election that had nothing to do with foreign policy.
The Biden administration faces mounting pressure from progressive lawmakers to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza, even as Hamas diverts billions into its war effort, instead of civilian needs.
Figures like Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) have refused to condemn Hamas’ atrocities, focusing their criticism entirely on Israel. College campuses, including prestigious institutions like Harvard University and Columbia University, have become antisemitic breeding grounds, with some faculty and student groups openly supporting terrorist attacks, and censoring and assaulting Jewish students.
According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), antisemitic incidents in the US increased by 360% in the past year, a rise closely tied to anti-Israel propaganda.
Beyond individual nations, international institutions like the United Nations have amplified this bias. Since 2015, the UN has passed more than 140 resolutions targeting Israel, compared to a mere handful addressing human rights abuses by Hamas or Hezbollah. These resolutions, framed as calls for accountability, fail to acknowledge Hamas’ deliberate targeting of Israeli civilians and its documented use of human shields.
The UN is attacking Israel because it’s a country of Jews — or else those 140 resolutions would also have been passed against Russia, Afghanistan, North Korea, and the countries of the world that actually are committing war crimes and grave human rights abuses.
Bigotry against Israel also extends to economic measures, with support for the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel growing across Europe. This campaign attempts to systematically undermine Israel’s economy and erode its international standing, often disregarding the oppressive regimes and terrorist organizations in the region that perpetuate the conflict.
Israel’s battle is not only against terrorism, but also against an international narrative infused with hypocrisy and bias. Nations that claim to foster human rights must recognize the security needs of the world’s only Jewish state. Defaming Israel undermines its right to defend its citizens and fails to respect a democratic nation.
The international community must move beyond its selective outrage and hold all parties accountable. Criticizing Israel while ignoring Hamas’ atrocities is not advocacy for peace — instead, it is continuing the cycle of violence.
In this climate of rising hostility, Israel stands not only for its survival, but for the principles of truth, justice, and the universal right of every nation to defend itself against terror. The world must resist promoting bias and uphold democratic values before the damage to Israel becomes irreparable.
Gregory Lyakhov has written for The Times of Israel, and is a passionate advocate for Israel. He runs a political blog focusing on elections, law, and Israel.
The post Allies to Adversaries: Waning Global Support for Israel first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.