Gaza raises many questions about the West, such as freedom of expression, democracy, human rights, and the limits on personal expression. The biggest question is: Does the West, which created the modern concept of freedom, really have no restrictions on it?

The saying that "things are different after Gaza" applies to almost everything, including the issue of freedoms. The global wave of sympathy for Gaza after the unprecedented destruction, leveling of buildings, killing of innocent civilians, bombing of hospitals, and assassination of journalists in cold blood has led to the restriction of freedom of expression in the West for anyone who sympathizes with Gaza. This forces us to ask many questions about the endurance of the Western concept of freedom. Will these countries and their institutions be able to market these concepts again? Especially when we hear of numerous incidents — too many to mention here — such as a university professor being fired for opposing the killing of children by the occupying state, an artist being banned from working for mildly criticizing the starvation of children, and a full event being canceled because it would feature an art exhibit expressing sympathy for those torn to pieces by Western-made bombs provided for free to "the most moral army in the world" — as Netanyahu claims.

We, in the Arab world, were raised to be amazed by the freedom of expression in the West, where you can criticize anything in any way as long as you don't use violence. Over the past decades, we were overwhelmed by a flood of media and artistic propaganda that infiltrated us through drama and media content, and we stood in awe and admiration of this freedom, which is largely missing in most of our Arab countries. Then, one day, we woke up from our ignorance to find that simply expressing sorrow for the brutal killing of a Gazan child is considered a crime against "Semitism" and can even lead to being fired from work in some Western countries.

On the other hand, the Western media model, especially the American one, serves as an inspiration for any journalist or writer aspiring to achieve a sky-high level of freedom, an open space where you can say what you want without fear or the need to filter your words a thousand times before speaking, just to avoid ending up in trouble. But once again, a storm of continuous news and clear videos hits us, showing that only one narrative is allowed in the West. We are even more surprised when we see prominent anchors claiming that merely discussing Palestinian victims issue is off-limits and beyond the scope of expression, as if Palestinians aren't human beings.

We Arabs love life just like any other people. We want to live a better life, we cherish the values of freedom and democracy, and most importantly, we believe that human rights belong to every person regardless of their religion, appearance, skin color, or race. Yet, because of our geographical location and the Arab-Israeli conflict, we are constantly accused of terrorism, hatred for life, and opposition to Western values.

The undeniable truth that emerged after the Gaza aggression is that Some Western countries, in large part, is the one that violates Western values, tailors democracy to its own interests, and — most importantly — serves the interests of the spoiled occupying state, which lives above international law and human rights for seventy-five years, defying all global ethical norms.

We now have a million pieces of evidence proving that those who need lessons in freedom, human rights, and democracy are the very people who have been trying for decades to sell us these concepts, only for us to suddenly discover that they are nothing more than illusions that crumble at the first test against their interests.

We must address the reality and call for a world that is more humane. The Western propaganda machine — mostly fueled by media that demonizes others and refuses to accept any system or government that thinks differently — must stop. We need to make the world a safer place to live. This can only be achieved through the Jordanian and Arab approach, which considers a just solution to the Palestinian issue as the key to any real stability in the world.

The ugly face of the world is becoming more visible and larger, and we eagerly await a fairer world. When will that happen? That is the perplexing question.