Global solidarity in the age of government complicity

By Hana Ibrahim

The war on Gaza has entered yet another chapter of devastation. For almost an year (Since Israel cut off all aid in March this year), the world has witnessed the relentless blockade, siege, and systematic destruction that rights groups and international experts have openly described as a genocide. And yet, despite the images of flattened homes, starving children, mass graves, and shattered hospitals, governments across the globe have failed to hold Israel accountable. Instead, many have chosen to shield it diplomatically, economically, and militarily, deepening the chasm between governments and the people they claim to represent.

Polarization

This growing disconnect has never been more visible than in the protests erupting worldwide. In capital cities, university campuses, streets, and even cultural events, citizens are making it clear: the conscience of the people cannot be suppressed, even when governments remain complicit in silence. The polarization is stark – governments toeing lines of power politics, while citizens demand justice, accountability, and an end to impunity.

The recent interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla, boats attempting to break the blockade and bring solidarity and aid to Gaza, has reignited the conversation about the legitimacy of civil resistance versus the illegality of state action. The interception and illegal abduction of activists on international waters was a reminder of Israel’s disregard for international law. But it was also a reminder of how governments, even those quick to sermonize about ‘rules-based order’, refuse to act when violations are carried out by Israel.

Moral Defiance

The flotilla was not merely about aid; it was a powerful act of moral defiance. In history, flotillas and convoys breaking sieges have symbolized hope and global unity against oppression. Yet, activists who dared to challenge Israel’s stranglehold were criminalized, their boats confiscated, and their freedoms curtailed, all while governments issued no serious rebuke. The silence of states contrasts sharply with the outrage of citizens, who view these flotillas as beacons of resistance against the normalization of genocide.

The essence of democracy is the principle that governments derive their legitimacy from the consent of the governed. And yet, in the Gaza crisis, governments are acting in direct contradiction to the will of their citizens. Polls in countries from the United States to the United Kingdom to Germany consistently show overwhelming public support for ceasefires, humanitarian aid, and accountability. Protest after protest has filled sidewalks, main streets, parks and city centres, often becoming the largest mobilizations since the Iraq War.

Who are governments truly representing?

The question is unavoidable: Who are governments truly representing? If the cries of millions are ignored while arms sales continue, while diplomatic cover is provided at the United Nations, while the blockade tightens, then it is clear that governments are not acting as representatives of the people, but as enablers of geopolitical interests. The gap between the governed and their governors is widening dangerously.

The protests are not isolated events but part of a global uprising of conscience. Students pitching tents on campuses, workers refusing to load arms shipments, artistes using their platforms to amplify Palestinian voices, all point to a new wave of civic resistance. This uprising cuts across race, religion, nationality, and ideology, uniting people in the belief that silence in the face of genocide is complicity.

In many places, these protests are being met with repression: mass arrests, censorship, surveillance, and intimidation. Yet, history teaches us that repression often fans the flames of resistance. What governments fail to grasp is that this is no longer just about Gaza; it is about the legitimacy of governance itself. When elected leaders act against the conscience of their citizens, they corrode the very foundations of democracy.

In Sri Lanka…

Sri Lanka has not been immune to these dynamics. Citizens have joined global demonstrations in solidarity with Gaza, carrying placards, organizing vigils, and staging rallies to demand an end to the blockade and mass killings. Yet, many of these peaceful actions have been met with surveillance, intimidation, and harassment by state authorities. Protesters report being photographed, questioned, and monitored, reinforcing a climate of fear.

More troubling is the pattern of elected officials, many of whom once stood with protesters in their rise to power, reversing their stance once in office, aligning instead with geopolitical expediency and domestic political calculation. This betrayal has deepened public disillusionment, highlighting once again the widening gulf between promises made to the people and the realities of governance. The right to dissent, enshrined in democracy, is being systematically eroded under the weight of political expediency.

Erosion of democratic accountability

The horizon looks turbulent. On one hand, governments are doubling down on militarism, continuing to arm Israel, and normalizing relations even as the body count rises in Gaza. On the other hand, people are becoming more determined, radicalized by the injustice they witness and the betrayals they endure. The protests against Gaza’s siege are morphing into broader movements against authoritarianism, corruption, militarism, and the erosion of democratic accountability.

We may be entering a new phase where the legitimacy of governments will be tested not only by their domestic policies but by their stance on global justice. Gaza has become a litmus test: to be silent or complicit is to be on the wrong side of history. The global South is already shifting, with countries in Latin America and Africa cutting ties or expelling diplomats in solidarity with Palestine. Meanwhile, in the global North, mass movements are putting unprecedented pressure on political elites.

The people are sending a clear message: our governments may fail us, but we will not fail each other. Whether through flotillas, boycotts, strikes, or massive street protests, a new global solidarity is emerging that governments cannot easily suppress.

The Gaza crisis has revealed the fragility of democracy and the hollowness of government rhetoric about human rights. It has also revealed something else: the resilience of people’s movements. As governments falter, ordinary people are rising—risking arrest, censure, and even their lives—to assert that the blockade, siege, and genocide in Gaza cannot continue in their name.

This polarization, between people who demand justice and governments that enable impunity, will shape the political landscape for years to come. And perhaps, just perhaps, it will remind governments of a simple truth they have forgotten: they are elected by the people, not by arms lobbies, not by powerful allies, not by the logic of war.

History is unforgiving. When future generations look back at Gaza, they will not only judge Israel’s crimes but also the complicity of governments that failed to act. But they will also remember the millions who marched, sailed, and shouted for freedom. And in that memory lies the hope that people, not governments, will define the horizon of justice.

-ENCL