What Would a ‘Free Palestine’ Look Like?

Pro-Palestinian groups march in support of the Palestinian people and call for an end to the war in the Middle East in New York City on Nov. 9, 2023. Chung I Ho/The Epoch Times

 Commentary

A protestor recently shouted “Free Palestine” at me and thrust into my hands a leaflet featuring Dutch-Palestinian supermodel Bella Hadid.

Ms. Hadid has advocated strongly for Palestine and against Israel, using her status as a star in campaigns for prominent fashion labels, including Victoria’s Secret.

I wish Ms. Hadid and all Palestinians the best for their freedom, as I do for all people. But would people in the Palestinian territories really be free if the “River to the Sea” plan came to fruition, and if Jewish people were once again expelled from the Holy Land?

Given the way that non-Israeli governments in the Middle East treat their citizens, I don’t think the Palestinian people, especially women, would be truly free.

Most certainly, any woman dressed in an outfit from Victoria’s Secret could find herself in serious trouble. In Gaza, she would be guilty of breaching Hamas’ “Code on Modesty.”

In Iran, women have been flogged, and even more strictly punished for not wearing a headscarf. In Saudi Arabia, hundreds of women have been arrested for the crime of wearing “immodest clothing.”

Women can even be flogged for dating, especially public dating. Even in Dubai, which has a reputation for being one of the more liberal of the Middle Eastern countries, people can be arrested for public displays of affection.

Would Palestinians be free to indulge in a drink or two?

Outside of Israel, people can be fined, sent to jail for a long time, or even flogged for drinking alcohol.

As for the right to vote, that’s an expression of freedom hard enough for men in the Middle East, even more so for women. In the places in which women can vote, they often have to vote under pressure or direction from male members of their family.

In any case, such a hope for political freedom in Palestine is futile.

Are They Calling for a Palestine With Freedoms?

Hamas does not allow full political freedoms for women or men. It has ruled Gaza as a violent dictatorship since 2007, frequently terrorising its own people, as well as Israelis.

Palestinians in the West Bank also live under a dictatorship. President Mahmoud Abbas was elected in 2005, with a term meant to have been completed in 2009. However, since he secured an indefinite term, he is still in office today.

Palestinian women do not have freedom of employment. In Gaza, there are punishments for women working without their male guardian’s permission. Indeed, women can even be punished for traveling without a male guardian there.

Bill Maher put the point very well, when he opined that “Bella Hadid and her friends would run screaming to Tel Aviv if they had to live in Gaza for one day.”

When protesters shout slogans such as “Free Palestine,” and “From the River to the Sea,” we have a good idea of what they are against.

But what is not so clear is what they are for. They may be against the State of Israel, and they may be against the Jewish people, but are they really in favour of freedom?

The track records of Middle Eastern governments suggest that a so-called “free Palestine” would see the Palestinian people anything but free in terms of freedoms of religion, relationships, or speech. They most certainly would not enjoy democratic freedoms, nor would they enjoy gender equality or other protections enjoyed in a truly free society.

Any thinking person would realise that the Palestine envisaged by Hamas and the Palestinian Authority would be “free of Jews” but Palestinians themselves would not be free.

The lack of clarity about a “free Palestine” suits the agendas of the dictators in the West Bank and Gaza dictators. So long as they think they can keep the focus on being against Israel, they keep attention away from their corruption, their dismal treatment of women, and their constant violations of human rights.

Free Peoples

I spoke about the above with the protestor. I told them that their slogan should not be “Free Palestine,” but that it should be “Free Palestinians.”

That freedom is not going to exist under the governing bodies in the Palestinian territories. That freedom exists and is protected in Israel, which makes you wonder if the protestors have really thought through the issues.

The first time I visited Israel, I went to the HaCarmel Market on a Friday afternoon. What struck me the most was the presence there of so many diverse people.

There were Orthodox Jews pleading with their fellow Jews to observe the Sabbath. There was a drag queen dancing and a Hare Krisha devotee preaching his faith. There were also women handing out leaflets in support of their favoured politicians.

They were gathered under the watchful eye of the police who were there to protect their freedoms, not to enforce an ideology or to repress the people.

Every time I hear the slogan “Free Palestine,” I think of that afternoon, and I remind myself that Palestine will only be free when it becomes more like Israel.

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.