For years, especially after the events of Oct. 7, 2023, the media has been shaping a particular narrative: anti-Zionist activists highlight injustices in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon and elsewhere in the Middle East, and point fingers at Israel’s wrongdoings in an attempt to delegitimize the country. But what happens when there is an injustice that doesn’t fit that narrative? It gets ignored entirely.

For more than a decade, the Syrian Druze, an Abrahamic, monotheistic and syncretic religious minority, have endured political marginalization, violent repression and displacement in Syria as a result of the Syrian Civil War in 2011. The Druze have faced security threats in Syria due to their relatively small population and preference for communal autonomy.

In Syria, the Druze are mostly located in the southern province, where there are approximately 600,000 Druze, according to the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies (MDC). However, the persecution of the Druze has received minimal coverage from the media, even though this humanitarian crisis reflects the exact issues that anti-Zionists are trying to raise awareness about in Gaza.

When the Assad regime collapsed, the Druze were thrust into an impossible position as the regime allowed the Druze to live autonomously. After the fleeing of the Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, the Druze resisted government attempts to impose authority over southern Syria. The Druze tried to remain separate, forming local defense units to protect their towns. Yet, their segregation did not save them from suffering. The Druze were targeted in massacres and kidnappings conducted by Syrian Bedouin groups and ​​government-backed forces.

In these clashes, there were credible reports of widespread violations and abuses in the province, including summary executions and arbitrary killings, kidnappings, destruction of private property and looting of homes by Syrian Bedouin groups and government-backed forces, according to United Nations Human Rights chief Volker Türk. As of July, more than 1,400 Syrian Druze have died in these clashes, according to PBS.

In the battles between Druze and the local Syrian Bedouin tribes, the Syrian government forces intervened, according to CNN. Since then, the Syrian government has condemned the attacks on the Druze and promised to restore order, although local groups have accused its authority of taking part in these attacks.

The only other Middle Eastern country willing to intervene for the sake of the Druze was Israel. On July 14, Israel launched airstrikes on Syrian military installations in an attempt to stop the attacks on the Druze. Following the initial attack, Israel sent airstrikes to Damascus on July 15, targeting the Syrian Ministry of Defense as well as, symbolically, facilities next to the presidential palace, according to the MDC.

These steps in defense are a part of Israel’s defense ministry being “committed to preventing harm to the Druze in Syria,” according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

There has been minimal coverage on these attacks, with even less activism and outrage by the West. This, juxtaposed with the activism about the condition in Gaza, highlights the hypocrisy of anti-Zionists. When there is injustice by Israel, it is publicized greatly, vilifying Israel. However, when injustice is rooted in Arab and Islamic regimes, it is ignored.

The source of this hypocrisy is how anti-zionists have worked to frame politics for the past few years. Those participating in activism for the Gazans have portrayed Israel as inhumane and the primary antagonist. Thus, when Israel shows they are committed to humanitarianism, there is silence, as it doesn’t feed the narrative that anti-Zionists have built.

Understanding this contradiction makes it clear that the activism around Gaza isn’t genuinely about the well-being of the citizens there, but is grounded in anti-Israel rhetoric. Had those who have been so vocal about genocide in Gaza cared for humanity, the atrocities in Syria would have made just as significant headlines. However, now, Israel is forced to play the role of the scapegoat, being taken advantage of and twisted to appear as the sole inhumane party of the Middle East.

If anti-Zionists are sincere in their claims to advocate for the oppressed, they must confront the fact that their silence on the Druze is a form of complicity. Not only does this challenge the supposed intentions of anti-Zionist protesters, which they claim to be the protection of global humanitarian rights, but it also illegitimizes their cause altogether. To represent genuine humanitarian concern is to address all humanitarian crises, not just the ones that serve ulterior motives.