On being pro-Palestinian, of Iraqi origin, and Iran…

A theme that occasionally crops up in X Spaces, from the Iraqi side of pro-Palestinian advocacy, is that of Iran and how pro-Palestinians should balance their activism for Palestine, support for the Palestinian right to resist (of which Iran is arguably the main supporter), and Iraq’s well-being.

I said pro-Palestinians and not Palestinians, because I do not ask anything from my Palestinian kin considering what they are going through. It is enough for me to know that they wish the best for Iraq and would otherwise do all they could in supporting its liberation from Iran’s stranglehold on the country. It’s not necessary for them to be vocal on this topic now.

My message here is to pro-Palestinians outside of Palestine and its diaspora. Around 2003, and for some years after, Iraq was the cause of the Western left. However, as time has passed and Iraq has drifted from the headlines, I feel that Iraq has been abandoned. Though the current story of Iraq is not as bloody as it has been in recent history and there have been moves forward from the truly dark times, Iraq and its people are still not free. While once it was the US that was occupying Iraq, the polices of the US enacted after the 2003 invasion ensured that the country was overcome by Iran.

To sum up as briefly as possible: Iran and its militias were a major force during the truly dark years of Nouri al-Maliki’s reign in Iraq. Around 2006, Iraq fell into a civil war during which the country’s government, as a proxy of Iran, enacted the most extreme persecution of the country’s Sunni population, culminating in the rise of ISIS, which was eventually defeated in 2017. Now, in the absence of such extremes, Iraq is basically a vassal of Iran, there to be taken advantage of and support the Iranian regime while the Iraqi people bear the consequences of a corrupt, abusive, and inadequate government. To quote the Tishreen protest movement: “I have come to claim my right. We want a country. Iran out, Iran out.”

Some people may claim ignorance here, seen as Iraq does not dominate the headlines anymore, but if you’re a pro-Palestinian activist, you probably do know, at least that Iran dominates Iraq. And this is where my disappointment comes. It’s almost as if: ‘the US is out, Iraq is fine now’ or ‘there’s nothing wrong with Iran controlling Iraq as it benefits the anti-West agenda.’ However, if your being anti-West negatively impacts non-Westerners (the people you supposedly care about), then you’re a hypocrite.

Regarding Palestine specifically, Iran might do some good for the Palestinian cause, but the question is at what cost? One must ask whether the part that Iran plays in the resistance comes from it being able to benefit from its enjoyment of having Iraq as its vassal. On X Spaces, such thoughts can lead to claims of distracting from Palestinian resistance to Israel and even being a Zionist (not from Palestinians, though, as I said, they wish us the best). It’s almost as if some pro-Palestinians believe that Iraq, despite its history, would not otherwise be part of the resistance to Israel.

My argument here is that an Iraq free of Iranian suppression would see the country and its people flourish, which in turn would lead to a more effective support of the Palestinian cause. Wouldn’t that be better? An independent, strong and free Iraq not having to waste its energy on resisting Iran and instead being able to focus on supporting Palestine.