The Take Omar El Akkad on the West’s hypocrisy over Gaza
Feb 23, 2026
Omar El Akkad, writer and former journalist known for sharp novels and nonfiction. He critiques Western hypocrisy over Gaza. He reflects on ceasefire hopes, U.S. positioning as a peace broker, and how liberal moral posturing masks transactions. He examines officials’ reversals, Arab states’ constraints, and the lasting impact of resistance on younger generations.
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Stay Vigilant Against Post Ceasefire Forgetting
- Expect institutional efforts to forget the genocide and to limit accountability once a ceasefire arrives.
- Omar El Akkad advises vigilance because communal forgetting and US-led obstruction will aim to impede legal or moral reckoning.
US Role Undermines Its Broker Credibility
- The US cannot credibly act as an honest broker while overwhelmingly aligned with Israel's state interests.
- Omar El Akkad argues that logical and moral contradiction makes meaningful impartial mediation unlikely and accountability efforts will be resisted.
Tweet Became Title About Future Collective Forgetting
- Omar recounts tweeting that one day people would claim they had always opposed the violence, a line that later became his book title.
- He compares future Western liberals' posturing to how South African and American liberals now disavow past apartheid and segregation.
