Beyond the Spin: From Brexit to the Middle East

Over the past couple of months, I have made it a point to explore the other side of the story. I can’t help it; it is how I have always approached big political moments. When the EU referendum came around, most media outlets seemed to lean pro-Brexit. It would have been easy for me, like many from a similar background, to be swept along in that tide. Instead, I dug deeper. I researched, I questioned, I listened to voices beyond the headlines, and I began to see that much of the rhetoric from UKIP was built on misinformation and spin. In the end, I believe I stood on the right side of history.

Then came another issue dominating the headlines: the Israel–Palestine conflict. Western media outlets overwhelmingly portrayed Israel as the villain, accusing it of genocide, apartheid, and every conceivable war crime. My instinct, as before, was to hear from the people themselves. I listened to Palestinians. I listened to Jews. I listened to Israelis. What I discovered was that, once again, the mainstream narrative was incomplete. The reality was far more nuanced. The evidence, though often circumstantial, made it clear this was not a simple, clear-cut conflict.

What surprised me most was seeing many of my fellow Remainers, the very people who once urged Brexiteers to question media manipulation, now falling into the same trap themselves, this time over the Middle East. They were just as unwilling to consider alternative perspectives, and just as entrenched in their views. That realisation was the moment I knew I could no longer stand with the Liberal Democrats, a party I had long seen as champions of forward thinking and social justice. Too many had slipped into repeating antisemitic propaganda, losing sight of nuance and complexity.

This journey has been deeply educational. I have developed genuine compassion for Gazans, who live under the suffocating control of Hamas. I have seen the diversity within Israel, with Muslims, Christians, and Jews working side by side towards the shared goal of simply existing and daring to be different. I have come to believe that the people of Gaza should one day be welcomed into Israel, protected from those who have exploited them and sacrificed their children as cannon fodder.

I understand the criticisms directed at Netanyahu, but I have also come to see that this conflict is about more than his policies or actions. At its core, there has long been an effort to challenge Israel’s very right to exist. That is why, despite everything, I believe Israel must be defended.