It has been said that "the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." Today, it seems the world faces a shortage of such "good men." As Lebanon suffers under relentless bombings from the Israeli government, civilians are maimed, displaced and left to sleep on the streets, with no end in sight. The so-called fight against "terrorism" rages on in densely populated neighborhoods, revealing a stark reality: the West's hypocrisy and double standards have never been more glaring.

How long will Israel continue to claim victimhood, avoiding accountability while inflicting that same violence on innocent people who played no role in their tragic history?

Anti-Semitism was not born in the Middle East; let us not forget the dark days of the so-called "moral West."

For how long will the global "superpowers" bow down to Israel and consider Palestinian and now Lebanese lives expendable? What form of democratic values are we subjected to in this part of the world?

A well-known politician once noted, "It is dangerous being called America’s enemy, but it is more fatal to be America’s friend." How true this is, and how truer it gets every day. Iraqis, Afghans and Syrians have all paid the price of promised friendship and the building of democratic societies.

Even before Oct. 7, Palestinian civilians were paying the price through the bullets and bombs supplied to Israel, the so-called "only moral democratic ally" of the U.S. in the Middle East. However, under the leadership of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the level of state terror has reached unprecedented levels. Netanyahu, the politician who lobbied for the U.S. invasion of Iraq to overthrow Saddam Hussein as early as 2002, is no friend of America. He has tarnished the U.S. image in this region beyond repair. It is time to consider this man a threat to the relationship America aims to build with the people of this region.

Indeed, it was Netanyahu’s policy, and that of his government, to fuel Palestinian division and undermine the Palestinian Authority, labeling any movement opposing unlawful occupation and displacement as a "terrorist" movement. Every revolutionary movement in history has, at some point, been branded "terrorist." One poignant example is the Jewish Warsaw Ghetto Uprising against the Nazis in April 1942. Though ultimately crushed by their brutal oppressors, those brave souls who dared to resist injustice are now remembered as heroes — symbols of defiance against tyranny, fighting for their very existence.

Why aren’t Palestinians afforded the right to fight for their legitimate aspirations when everything else has been taken from them? What irony.

What happened to the "mighty and united Europe" — now fractured and far more vocal about Russia’s war on Ukraine, issuing sanctions against Moscow at every turn? Why has its voice suddenly fallen silent when it comes to Israel? While there are a few brave and brilliant voices we are deeply grateful for, where is Europe’s collective outcry as Palestinian and Lebanese civilians — mostly women and children — are being slaughtered?

In our post-truth world, human lives have become mere statistics. The truth, it seems, no longer holds value; it has been buried beneath empty speeches and hollow outrage, overshadowed by the rubble of bombs that are said to "export democracy" to so-called "poor savages." The real aim, however, appears to be the preservation of the only "democratic apartheid" state in the world.

How far the mighty have truly fallen.

As a citizen, I write to say that the time for a cease-fire has come. Now is the time for the same countries that preach peace and the importance of diplomatic solutions to step up and walk the walk. The Progressive Socialist Party calls on the "moral" West to show the same outrage and the same courage they display when talking about the Ukrainian war and apply it to the Gaza and Lebanon wars.

We call upon the theocratic and religious figures of our region, from all divides, to stop involving this country and others in proxy wars that bring only suffering, death, and destruction.

We call on all sides — international and regional, on Iran, and on Israel — to respect our sovereignty as an independent state seeking a cease-fire and an end to the bloodshed.

Last but not least, we call on the different political factions in Lebanon to reach a consensus, unite and elect a president, and form a government to save what is left of this country that has endured so many wars, failures and transgressions. Act before the cycle of violence swallows us whole.

Finally, we call for the swift reimplementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 and for the Lebanese army to assume its rightful role.

May Lebanon be protected, and may we one day see a free Palestine.