What Kind of World Are We Letting Happen?

A Personal Reflection on Israel, The Politics of Forever War, and the Broken Global Order

🕊️ Part 1 — Living in an Anxious Time

We’re in July 2025.

Two major wars are still raging.

• Gaza: 1 year and 9 months of destruction.
• Ukraine: 3 years of violence.

There’s no real resolution in sight. And I’m deeply disturbed by how normal this has all become.

Some people have simply stopped watching the news altogether. I get it. I did the same, in my own way.

I left a Telegram group I used to follow: “Palestine 1”, because the videos shared there were the kind you’d never see on Instagram or Facebook. Not because they were fake. But because they were too violent to be allowed.

I saw things I wish I hadn’t.

‼️Disclaimer ‼️: This is not a critique of Jews, Judaism, or Jewish identity, nor a defense of any form of terrorism. I reject antisemitism, Islamophobia, and all forms of hate. This is a reflection on nationalism, state violence, and the double standards we often see in global politics. I chose to generate the images rather than share real ones that could disturb or shock. The views expressed are my own.

👁️ The Privilege of Looking Away

As people living in Western democracies, we love to speak of human rights, justice, and international law. But when it comes to applying them equally, our silence is large…

If we accept having two sets of standards, one for ourselves and one for others, then let’s at least be honest.

In that case:

• Let’s stop pretending we care about international law.
• Let’s stop acting like we believe in human rights for all.
• Let’s stop making it sound like we’re defending peace.

If, in the end, it’s all about economic and geopolitical interests, then we’re no longer talking about values. We’re talking about power. And that changes everything.

Because if that’s the truth, then what we’re defending isn’t justice. It’s Western control.

🇮🇱 Israel: What’s My Position?

Let’s start with some context.

The state of Israel was created after the horrors of World War II, a response to the genocide of European Jews. It became a sanctuary, a promise, a place of safety.

But this land was not empty. People were already living there. And while treaties were signed to protect them, they were rarely enforced.

Since its founding, Israel has lived in a state of war.

It came with power, and in most cases, the powerful impose their will.

I currently live in a DOM-TOM 🇷🇪, and I recognize the same pattern across colonial territories. Whether it’s colonialism, patriarchy, or war, it’s always the same: the stronger force crushes the weaker. And the weaker gets blamed for resisting.

🔥 A Personal Memory: 2021, Gaza, and the “Polite” Bombing

I remember 2021. Israel bombed Gaza.

One moment stood out. Journalists were working inside a media tower. They received a warning from the Israeli military:

“Your building will be bombed in an hour. Please evacuate.”

And then it was gone, just like that.

Imagine you’re a reporter at RTBF in Belgium or France Info.

And you get a call saying your office will be destroyed in 60 minutes.

Not because you’re armed.

Not because you’re a threat.

Just because you’re doing your job, trying to tell the truth.

There was no widespread international outrage, nor were there any sanctions. Just silence from Western countries.

🛂 Part 2 – When Freedom is Geographic – A Closer Look at Israel and Unequal Lives

People don’t seem to realise this, but where you’re born defines so much of your freedom.

The French Baccalaureate this year raised the question:

Are we really free?

My first answer: no.

Your passport, your rights, and your movements, everything changes based on where you are born.

If you’re Palestinian, you might have five or six different IDs or legal statuses, each defining what you can or cannot do. Being born 40 km away can mean the difference between having civil rights and not. Being protected or targeted. Access to healthcare or war zones. 

• A different passport
• Different identity rights
• Different restrictions on travel, voting, education, and employment

Some have no official status and live in a grey zone of legality.

💥 The Right to Defend… Until When?

October 7th, 2023, was horrific. The Hamas attacks left deep scars. I felt it. The next day, I contacted all my Jewish friends. I told them:

“I support you. Violence is horrifying. I hope it never happens again.

Because no one, absolutely no one, deserves terror.”

After October 7th, Western governments rushed to defend Israel’s right to protect itself.

But then came the response. Massive airstrikes on Gaza and the West Bank. Civilians are dying every day.

On October 7th, 1,200 Israelis were killed.

Around 250 were taken hostage.

Within a week, the number of Palestinian deaths had already matched that.

And it keeps rising.

The narrative?

“Terrorists are hiding there.”

But:

• Where’s the proof?
• Who decided?
• Were the people in those homes given a trial?
• Were there links to Hamas confirmed?
• Will we ever know?

We’re told:

“Security reasons. We can’t disclose.”

But then when?

After the war is over?

After how many deaths?

Again, silence.

And still today: No pause. No serious calls to stop. No peace talks.

Just more bombing, blockade, and shooting.

🧠 Understanding isn’t justifying

Hamas is a political movement with an armed wing.

Many extremist movements across the world have violent offshoots.

This doesn’t make their methods acceptable.

But we have to ask: Why did this movement even emerge?

Imagine this:

• Your brother is taken and never returns?
• Your house is destroyed for reasons never explained?
• You’re denied mobility, education, and basic rights?

How long would you remain passive?

Again, I’m not supporting Hamas’ actions.

But I’m saying their existence is a result, not just a cause.

Like in New Caledonia, recent uprisings didn’t appear from nowhere.

They came from a long history of colonialism, exploitation, injustice, and decades of being unheard.

⚖️ Part 3 — Power, Fascism, and the Selective Morality of the West

🧓 Netanyahu and the Politics of Forever War

Let’s talk about Israel’s internal politics for a second.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been losing support for years.

He’s not holding onto power through vision or unity; he’s holding on through division.

How?

• By forming alliances with the extreme right
• By weakening judicial independence
• By pushing authoritarian laws under the cover of “security”
• By maintaining a permanent state of war, so people don’t focus on his failings

In times of peace, he might not last. But in times of war, he becomes the protector.

What complicates things with Israel is how tightly the state is bound to religion.

It’s like if the Vatican claimed to represent all 1.4 billion Christians.

If someone attacks the Vatican, is that an attack on Christianity?

If the Vatican attacks a country, are Christians now aggressors?

Of course not.

I was raised Catholic, and I don’t feel linked to Vatican decisions.

However, in Israel, identity and nationhood are inextricably linked. And that makes things complex.

🌍 Western Values… Only When Convenient?

Now let’s talk about the West when it comes to the real contradiction.

Western countries, especially in Europe, love to talk about values:

• Democracy
• Human rights
• Freedom
• Justice

But these values are often conditional.

They apply when:

✅ The victims are white

✅ The aggressor is not an ally

✅ The story fits Western interests

They don’t apply when:

 ❌ The victims are Arab

❌ The aggressor is a Western ally

❌ The violence is state-sponsored and long-term

This isn’t a radical idea. Even Greta Thunberg pointed it out recently with one word: racism.

And let’s be honest. She’s not wrong.

🇮🇱🆚🇷🇺 Same Playbook, Different Judgment

Compare these two cases:

When Russia invaded Ukraine, we all called it what it was: an invasion.

But when Israel bombs Gaza or crosses borders into Iran and Syria? We call it self-defense.

Take Iran, for example.

Israel bombed it, claiming it was building nuclear weapons.

But,

• Iran’s nuclear capacity hasn’t been proven (even by the CIA).
• Israel’s nuclear arsenal does exist, confirmed by multiple sources.
• And yet Israel refuses to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

C’est l’hôpital qui se fout de la charité

🧨 Part 4 — When Superpowers Bomb, Trust Disappears

Let’s talk about the most recent event: The United States bombed three nuclear facilities in Iran.

Trump “the Pacifist” nominated for the Peace Nobel Prize moved toward escalation. And once again, the rules of international law?

Completely ignored.

He knows the outcome. Iran might suffer. Oil prices will skyrocket. And guess who benefits? The American fossil fuel industry (my own theory).

While the media talked about negotiations and diplomacy,

The truth is… the bombing was already being planned.

That says a lot about the current world order:

• Agreements mean nothing
• Treaties mean nothing
• International institutions have no weight
• Justice is overridden by geopolitical games

This is not diplomacy.

This is empire vs. empire.

And most people? Just pawns on the chessboard.

👀 The World is Watching

 Other countries are observing us. And they’re asking:

• Will you defend me, too?
• Will you protect human rights, even when it’s not convenient?
• Or will you betray me, like so many before?

If the West continues to adopt this selective morality, it will lose all credibility. And trust, once lost, is hard to earn back.

📉 What kind of world are we stepping into?

We’re now entering a world where:

• Agreements are worthless.
• Power rules everything.
• Climate, peace, and justice are secondary.

It’s not just frightening. It’s heartbreaking.

And it’s mostly shaped by the same kind of people:

• Older men
• Disconnected from the younger generations,
• Still deciding on billions,
• Still thinking in terms of glory, control, and legacy.

🧠 Part 5 – Feeling Powerless in a Broken System

Sometimes, I feel incompetent. Who am I even to write an article like this? I’m already so scared of the backlash. How many opportunities am I going to miss because I’m about to share my point of view online?

And what is the point of all of this anyway?

Millennials and Gen Z are caught between two worlds. We speak up. We march. We vote. But do we change anything?

Populism keeps rising.

Climate keeps collapsing.

Wars continue and spread.

And the system remains untouched.

❤️ A Final Note: A message to the youth, our voice matters

I know this piece may spark disagreement. I welcome respectful dialogue. If you’re reading this and feeling confused or overwhelmed, you’re not alone. At least, you are 2…

Please, don’t give up. Don’t close your eyes in front of all this international horror. Change always comes through struggle.

I believe the future belongs to the youth. Youth who believe older men should stop ruling the world and start listening instead.

Let’s start listening to each other, across borders, faiths, and beliefs.

Because while they bomb,

We build.

While they divide,

We connect.

While they fear,

We love.

This was never just about Israel.

Or Palestine.

Or Iran.

Or Ukraine.

This is about all of us.

About what kind of world we allow to unfold.

About whether we’re spectators… or participants in shaping it.

If you’re reading this, you still have power.

Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.