By Dr Ziad Al-Alyan, Editor-in-Chief

Since my early childhood, the notion of “Mother Russia” as a tyrant has been ingrained in our minds. We have been constantly bombarded with both direct and subtle ideas portraying Russia as the perennial villain. I am embarrassed to admit that it’s only now that I’ve managed to escape the cognitive slavery that I — and so many others — have suffered from for decades.

The recent Israeli genocide against the Palestinians has placed a magnifying glass on the hypocrisy that exists in the West. Since October 7th — which, for the uninformed readers in the West, is not when the conflict started — over 50,000 Palestinians have been massacred, accounting for approximately 2 percent of the population. More than 2 million people have been displaced. This was, of course, in retaliation for the killing of approximately 1,200 Israelis on October 7th.

To be clear, I condemn the killing of any civilian in any conflict. However, October 7th was not an isolated incident. As much as Western media tries to sell it as such, it is crucial to remind the world that the original aggressor was Israel, when it invaded Palestine more than 75 years ago. For hardcore Zionists, October 7th was merely the new excuse they needed to attempt to annihilate the remaining Palestinian population.

Earlier this week, Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated that the military had been instructed to seize more of Gaza and would continue its operations until all hostages were freed. Following that, Israel’s renewed campaign of terror on Gaza, sanctioned by the United States, killed over 400 people, including many children. Shortly after, Israel’s prime assassin, Benjamin Netanyahu, declared: “I want to assure you, this is just the beginning.”

It is only due to the unwavering support of the United States and Europe that an individual labeled a criminal by the ICC can continue this reign of terror and speak so confidently on the international stage. Western media, largely owned by Zionist interests, continues to divert attention away from the tens of thousands slaughtered, instead focusing obsessively on the few hostages. Fifty thousand dead in exchange for one thousand hostages — that’s the current exchange rate for Palestinian lives.

And this doesn’t even account for the 2 million Palestinians who have been displaced. News outlets devote endless airtime to the stories of Israeli hostages and their families, brainwashing their audiences into thinking that’s the only crisis in the Middle East. Social media platforms, similarly controlled by the Zionist machine, block much of the content that truthfully depicts Palestinian suffering. I was shocked to learn that most stories about the genocide are not even viewable or shareable in the US.

I have no doubt that the American people would take a different stance if they were exposed to the images and facts available to the rest of the world. Personally, I am sick of this hypocrisy. I am exhausted from seeing images of dead babies on Instagram day after day.

I am astonished by how humanity has failed them so tragically.

As a journalist, I am disgusted by how international news is so tilted despite its slogans of “unbiased coverage” and “fair, balanced reporting.” It’s all a lie, and it has been for many years. CNN, Sky News, Fox and others will devote entire segments to a few injured Israelis or Hamas/Iranian rockets that hit nothing, while shamefully placing reports of Palestinian deaths under the banner of “unverified reports”. How can the death of an Israeli be treated as fact, yet the murder of a Palestinian child be labeled “unverified”?

I place no blame on the Zionist killing machine or its affiliates — they have made their motives clear since the late 1940s. I place the blame squarely on the international community: Those with the power to act, yet who choose to do nothing. The only time we see European leaders flocking to the White House is when they kiss Trump’s ring and beg for tariff reductions, not to stop genocide. Some left-wingers may argue this is not their issue. But they need to be reminded: When you fund the Israeli war machine, you become an accomplice to the crime.

I will end with the same sentiment I began with: Russia did not commit the Holocaust — the Germans did. Russia didn’t incarcerate people in Guantanamo Bay — the Americans did. Russia was not the only country to drop a nuclear bomb on a city — that was the Americans. So when it comes to human rights violations throughout history, Russia doesn’t even crack the top ten.

As I rewatch Sylvester Stallone’s Rambo and Rocky movies this weekend, I will definitely remind myself who I’m rooting for this time.

zya@kuwaittimes.com