This analysis revisits Edward Said’s Orientalism in the context of Gaza, highlighting how Western backing of Israel reflects ongoing colonial attitudes.
Revisiting Edward Said’s Orientalism, this piece argues that the violence in Gaza reflects the persistent colonial mindset that portrays the East as inferior, justifying oppressive actions and external support for Israel’s actions. It suggests that Western powers’ complicity, combined with self-Orientalist tendencies among Arab leaders, has hindered regional solidarity, keeping the colonial legacy alive in modern policy and attitudes toward Palestine.
The ongoing genocide in Gaza by Israel underscores the need to reexamine Edward Said’s Orientalism through the lens of contemporary events. Said, a Palestinian Christian thinker, pioneered a critical framework in Orientalism that exposes how Western powers have historically constructed the “East” as an “Other” to justify their colonial ambitions. This framework remains deeply relevant today as Gaza becomes a focal point for colonial violence and Western complicity.
Edward Said’s Orientalism: Revisiting a Foundational Critique
Said’s Orientalism argues that the West constructs the East through a distorted lens of exoticism, backwardness, and inferiority. According to this framework, the East is depicted as an irrational, undisciplined society, incapable of self-governance, in contrast to a rational and orderly West. This distorted narrative has long justified Western colonial and interventionist agendas by framing the East as a land in need of Western “civilizing” efforts. When Eastern societies resist, colonial powers respond with brutality, insisting on their “right” to impose order—a pattern we continue to see in Gaza, where resistance is met with overwhelming force.
Said’s work was not a mere theoretical claim; it was a diagnosis of historical reality. For centuries, European powers colonized vast swaths of Asia, Africa, and the Americas, seizing resources and enslaving populations while committing acts of torture and genocide. This colonial legacy persists as a mindset, evident in modern foreign policy, economic exploitation, and political interventions. Gaza’s plight, spanning over 76 years, illustrates this enduring mentality as Israel continues to occupy, oppress, and devastate Palestinian lives and land. The massacre in Gaza exemplifies colonial dynamics that have not ended but evolved, perpetuating Said’s analysis of Orientalism in real-time.
Gaza: A Case Study of Colonial Continuity and Transformation
Gaza stands as a modern case of colonialism transformed rather than ended. Unlike earlier colonial structures, which directly controlled colonies, modern powers such as the United States have backed Israel as a proxy state to further Western interests in the region. Gaza’s occupation and frequent bombardments reflect a neocolonial arrangement that allows Israel to enforce control over Palestinians, while the West supplies resources and legitimizes its actions.
This case also deviates from historical norms, where colonial violence largely targeted non-white populations. Israel’s occupation and violence against Palestinians, including many Christian Palestinians, dismantle the religious and ethnic boundaries once typical of colonial subjugation. Furthermore, the rate of violence in Gaza surpasses past instances of colonial repression, underscoring the intensity of modern colonial violence. In Gaza, civilian death tolls rise rapidly, with entire communities facing indiscriminate bombing and blockades that restrict access to basic necessities, including food, water, and medical supplies.
The West’s Double Standard: Israel and Palestine vs. Ukraine and Russia
If Said were alive today, he might note the glaring double standards in Western responses to international crises. For example, while Western nations support Ukraine against Russian aggression, these same powers unconditionally support Israel’s aggressive policies against Palestinians. Western governments justify Israel’s actions under the guise of “self-defense,” even as Palestinian communities bear the brunt of indiscriminate violence. Palestinians defending their homes are branded as terrorists, while Israel’s disproportionate force is normalized.
Said would likely observe that this double standard reflects deeper cultural biases within the West, which sympathizes more readily with fair-skinned, Christian-majority populations like Ukraine’s. Russia, despite its strained relationship with the West, remains part of the Eurocentric world, adding complexity to its conflict with Ukraine. The religious and racial proximity between the two parties reinforces Western solidarity with Ukraine, whereas Palestinians, being both non-European and predominantly Muslim, are subjected to an entirely different set of standards and narratives.
Jews, Christians, and Muslims: A Complex Interplay of Religion and Power
Said might also comment on the Western conceptualization of “Judeo-Christian” culture, which historically attempted to align Jewish and Christian values against an imagined Islamic threat. Yet, Eastern Muslims and Christians have long seen Jewish culture as distinct, especially in its position towards Christianity and Islam. For many Jewish communities, Christianity and Islam are not allies but rivals; Judaism, for centuries, has maintained a separate cultural and religious identity from Christianity.
Historically, Jews in Christian Europe often found themselves marginalized, with anti-Semitic violence including expulsions and massacres, giving rise to terms like pogrom (Russian) and holocaust (Greek). In Muslim regions, however, Jewish communities were often protected and integrated, illustrating different approaches to interfaith relations. The current violence in Gaza has stirred a reawakening within Christian communities in the West, particularly among younger generations, who increasingly oppose Western governments’ support for Israel. Efforts by the media and influential pro-Israel lobbyists have struggled to suppress this growing criticism, as young people turn to social media platforms, even under censorship pressures from platforms like X (formerly Twitter).
Public Sentiment and the Limits of Lobbying Power
Although public discontent will not bring immediate changes in governmental support for Israel, it signals a gradual shift in Western attitudes. Younger generations witnessing Gaza’s destruction may eventually hold positions of influence and will likely remember the atrocities committed. Israel’s longstanding use of Holocaust narratives to evoke global sympathy is now more scrutinized, as it grows increasingly difficult to reconcile the victimhood of the past with current actions. As Palestinians suffer and resist, the world witnesses a complex interplay of historical victimhood with present-day aggression, challenging the narrative that Israel represents an exclusively vulnerable and oppressed community.
Self-Orientalism and the Role of the Arab and Muslim World
While the West’s Orientalist lens distorts perceptions of the East, Said also noted the phenomenon of self-Orientalism—when Eastern societies internalize Western prejudices and hierarchies. Many Arab and Muslim leaders have prioritized Western alliances, sidelining their support for Palestine in favor of economic and political ties with Israel and its allies. This alignment has weakened the collective power of the Arab and Muslim world, which has remained largely silent or complicit as Israel continues its campaigns against Palestinians.
In the Middle East, Orientalism persists, while Occidentalism—the development of a counter-narrative against Western influence—has struggled to take root. Influential elites in the region have accepted Western superiority and attempted to imitate its systems and values rather than fostering their own independent models of governance or cultural pride. In this self-Orientalist framework, Palestinian resistance is dismissed, with regional leaders often viewing Hamas as a terrorist threat while legitimizing Israeli actions. This dynamic reinforces Western dominance, as those who could have opposed Orientalism instead endorse and adopt its assumptions.
The Power Dynamics Underlying Orientalism
The tendency of the strong to impose their views on the weak manifests in Orientalism, which is ultimately a reflection of Western power over Eastern societies. Had Eastern societies been historically stronger, Orientalism might have remained a theoretical construct, a mindset that never found expression in reality. Yet the failure of local leaders to challenge this construct has emboldened Western powers to maintain Orientalist attitudes, resulting in devastating outcomes like the Gaza genocide in the 21st century.
Edward Said’s Orientalism provided literature with a foundational critique, yet his impact extended beyond theory. His symbolic gestures of resistance, such as throwing stones at Israeli soldiers, underscored a deeper personal commitment to Palestinian freedom. His regret might be that few followed his path. In today’s world, where self-Orientalism dilutes collective resistance, Said’s legacy serves as a reminder that diagnosis alone is insufficient without action.
