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Most Saturdays, you can find me at the Palestinian solidarity informational booth outside the local Farmers Market with, trying to educate my neighbors about the reality of what is happening in Palestine and why. It’s not an easy task. During the two seasons we have been there, we have never had more than a few people stop to talk each week, and many of these stop just to thank us for being there. Most of the rest just walk by, pretending not to see us.

Until last week. At least 20 people stopped to talk. Some had only a vague idea how things got to this point, but all were horrified at the latest news of what Israel was doing to the civilians in Gaza. They wanted to discuss their concerns. One in particular expressed a sense of hopelessness. I understood her feelings, but I didn’t want her to walk away thinking there was nothing to be gained by resistance.

What could I tell her that would give her hope that protesting the genocide matters? It occurred to me at that moment that the spike in interest that I noticed that day must have been related to the recent increase in mainstream media coverage of the genocide. That in itself is a real reason for hope, and it wouldn’t have happened without sustained and growing protest.

Surprisingly, the New York Times led the way when it ran an Op-Ed on July 15 entitled, “I am a genocide scholar. I know it when I see it.” The NYT has long represented the US and Israeli governments’ version of reality as fact. It taking a position that genocide accusations are worthy of discussion suggests that a historic shift in the longstanding US laisse faire policy toward Israel may be coming. Events since then seem to confirm this:

July 24: President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would recognize Palestine statehood in September, when the new UN session began.
July 28: Two major Israeli human rights organizations, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights, released independent reports that concluded Israel is guilty of genocide.
   On the same day, in response to a Netanyahu denial that Israel’s blockade is causing starvation in Gaza, Trump stated, “I don’t know…those children look pretty hungry. That’s real starvation stuff.”
July 29: led UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has led an increasing ruthless crackdown on Palestinian solidarity activists, to declare that the UK would join France in recognizing Palestine if Israel did not stop settlement expansion, foreswear annexation of the West Bank, and agree to a ceasefire
July 30: More than half of the Democrat senators voted for one or both proposed bans on sales of specific offensive weapons to Israel introduced by Bernie Sanders.
August 1: Canada announces its intent to recognize Palestinian statehood.

Despite these warning signs that Western governments are growing weary of fighting the rising tide of protest to the genocide, on August 4 it was revealed by a senior IDF official that Netanyahu had informed senior military staff he would seek cabinet approval for a full occupation of Gaza. The same day, a letter signed by 600 former security officials calling on him to end the war was released.

Three days later, the Israeli war cabinet approved plans to occupy Gaza City. This seems to have been was much for Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who released a statement in response stating that Germany  would cease all new shipments of offensive weapons to Israel. Given that Germany had long outlawed criticism of Israel as antisemitic, this is a truly monumental event.

One can debate whether all this will really lead to a change in policy by the US government. Given Trump’s disdain for the EU and the UN, it is possible that he will opt to continue supporting the genocide. He is likely undaunted by the prospect of the US being the only member of the Security Cabinet still backing the genocide. However, now the “peace President” is losing support even among those who have been cheering on his half-finished fascist take over of government. That presents a real dilemma.

In addition to those MAGA supporters who are angry he has abandoned his America First pro-peace position when it comes to Israel, another large contingent is angry that he refuses to release the Epstein files that might implicate him in his network child sexual abusers allegedly being blackmailed by Epstein on behalf of Israel. One can only imagine how that play strikes folks convinced Democrats run child prostitution rings out of a DC pizza parlor.

And, of course, there is also the matter of the angry farmers, manufacturers,  retailers and consumers who are starting to realize that tariffs are harming or destroying their businesses, just like everyone but Trump said.

People who think the Israeli lobby is invincible might want to consider what will happen when the reality of the genocide sinks into the consciousness of people who have ignored the evidence up until now. Trump even reportedly told a prominent Jewish donor that “My people are starting to hate Israel.” Imagine how that news went over with AIPAC.

The bottom line is that the genocide may be winding down, and the backlash may just be beginning. Even is Gaza experiences some relief, the increasing violence in the West Bank is sure to keep the Palestine solidarity movement growing. Let’s remember that while Gaza is the epicenter of the violence of a dying global empire, we are all in harm’s way until we succeed in taking it down.