Douglas Murray Warns: 'Israel’s War Is Won—but America’s Is Just Beginning'

David McCormick interviews Douglas Murray at R.J.C. 10/31

[00:00–04:30] Opening Banter & The “Two Wars” Framework

Senator David McCormick introduces Douglas Murray as a leading voice on antisemitism, Israel, and the struggle against “death cults” in the democratic world. Murray jokes about Lindsey Graham leaving early and notes that, after spending so much time in Israel, he “feels a bit Jewish,” a nod to the cultural energy in the room.

Murray outlines his central framing: the existence of two simultaneous wars. The first is the kinetic war Hamas began on October 7. The second—and, in his view, the more neglected one—is the ideological war unfolding in America and the broader West.

He praises the IDF and IAF for “generational achievements” since the last RJC gathering: crushing Hamas in Gaza, degrading Hezbollah, and operating freely in a hostile region with American support.

[04:30–10:00] The Second War: Anti-Israelism as Anti-Westernism

Murray shifts focus to “the war at home.” Across the West—from the U.S. and U.K. to France, Canada, and Australia—he sees large anti-Israel protests that echo each other regardless of geography. He cites Melbourne, where thousands chant against Israel: “You’re in Melbourne—what’s it got to do with you?”

This isn’t simply pro-Palestinian sentiment, he argues, but the mainstreaming of support for Hamas. He notes that at Princeton, protesters chanted “Glory to our martyrs,” explicitly adopting Hamas’ cause as their own.

McCormick recalls students in Pennsylvania assaulting a young man carrying an Israel flag and his campaign shirt. As a non-Jew, he asks: What is the root cause of this sudden explosion?

[10:00–15:30] The Woke Guilt Machine & Projecting Sin onto Israel

Murray cites Soviet writer Vasily Grossman: “Tell me what you accuse the Jews of, and I’ll tell you what you’re guilty of.” The Nazis accused Jews of racism and world domination; Iran accuses Israel of colonizing while it extends influence

Trump’s Islamist Concessions: Israel’s Quandry in a Misaligned World

President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign promises to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program and support Israel’s destruction of Hamas are faltering, selling out Israel and alienating his pro-Israel voter base. 

By conceding on military pressure against Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Trump places the onus on Israel to defy his stated policy through unilateral strikes or sabotage, risking global condemnation in a world where U.S. policy misaligns with actors like Qatar and Iran. 

President Donald Trump's incoming Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff at a Trump campaign rally at Madison Square Garden, New York, October 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci); Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a government meeting in Nahariya on December 3, 2024. (Maayan Toaf/GPO); Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani attends a meeting in Egypt's new administrative capital on November 27, 2024. (Khaled Desouki/AFP/ Times of Israel)

A $5.5 billion Trump-branded golf resort deal in Qatar, tied to envoy Steve Witkoff’s $623 million Qatari connections, fuels ethical concerns amid a collapsed Gaza ceasefire. 

A U.S. ceasefire with Iran-backed Houthis, wielding suspected hypersonic missiles, fails to halt their attacks on Israel, emboldening proxies like Hamas, which intensifies Israel’s ground war in Gaza as a by-product. 

As Chinese President Xi Jinping aligns with Vladimir Putin, bolstering Iran through CCP-backed conflicts, Trump’s potential restraint of Israel against Iran and Hamas undermines Israel’s security in increasing U.S. policy alignment with Qatar and Iran.

Gaza Ceasefire Collapses, Ground War as By-Product

Trump pledged to eliminate Hamas, responsible for the October 7, 2023, attack that killed 1,200 and took 251 hostages. A January 15, 2025, ceasefire, brokered by Qatar and Egypt with Witkoff, forced the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to withdraw from Gaza strongholds, exchanging 33 hostages (eight believed dead) for 1,900 Palestinian prisoners, many terrorism-linked (Israel National News). It collapsed on March 18, 2025, with Operation Might and Sword targeting Hamas’s regrouping (Times of Israel).

On May 4, Israel launched Operation Gideon’s Chariots to seize Gaza, displace 2.3 million residents to a southern “secure zone,” and free 59 hostages. The IDF mobilized approximately 60,000 reservists to bolster three divisions and secure fronts like Lebanon (The Jerusalem Post, May 5). Far-right leaders like Bezalel Smotrich demand permanent occupation (Israel Hayom). A nine-week aid blockade and ground operations, a by-product of Iran’s emboldened proxies like Hamas, have led to 87 IDF casualties since March (Israel National News). Hostage families fear for captives’ safety (Times of Israel).

Eric Trump, executive vice president of the Trump Organization and the US president's son, looks over the proposed plan ahead of the signing ceremony with Qatar's Diar and Dar Global in Doha on April 30, 2025. (Karim Jaafar/AFP/Times of Israel)

Qatar’s Influence and Ethical Concerns

The $5.5 billion Simaisma golf resort deal, announced April 30, 2025, with Qatar’s Qatari Diar and Saudi-backed Dar Global, features an 18-hole golf course, 3,600 villas, 3,000 apartments, a 400-room hotel, and a waterfront promenade (Trump Organization press release).

Eric Trump praised it, but Witkoff’s $623 million Qatari ties from a 2016 hotel sale raise conflict-of-interest concerns, given Qatar’s Hamas mediation role (Israel Hayom). X posts criticize: “Trump profits from Qatar while Israel fights” (

@TimesofIsrael

, May 2). This deal highlights U.S. policy misalignment, favoring Gulf interests over Israel’s security (America First Policy Institute, April 28).

Iran Concession: Forcing Israel’s Nuclear Defiance

Trump’s pledge to “defang” Iran’s nuclear program, a cornerstone of his pro-Israel stance, has been abandoned. After exiting the 2015 nuclear deal, he now tolerates 3.67% uranium enrichment, per Witkoff’s Oman talks (Washington Times, April). This concession, forsaking military threats, forces Israel to defy Trump’s stated policy by planning unilateral strikes or sabotage against Iran’s nuclear facilities, risking global demonization (Israel National News, May 7). Israel’s potential operations—precision airstrikes or covert sabotage—face Iran’s fortified defenses, including underground sites like Natanz, per Israel Hayom. The America First Policy Institute (April 28) warns such action could isolate Israel, with U.S. policy misaligned toward actors like Iran and Qatar, undermining Israel’s security (Newsweek, January 12). This sell-out emboldens Iran’s proxies, fueling Hamas’s Gaza resilience as a by-product.

The concession’s drivers include:

• Practical Strategy: Trump prioritizes Gulf deals like Simaisma to avoid Middle East conflicts, per X posts noting his Qatar focus.
• Deep-State Influence: State Department diplomats push Iran engagement to counter China, aligning with Witkoff’s diplomacy (Israel Hayom; Modern Diplomacy, February 15).
• Isolationist Voices: Tucker Carlson’s “America First” rhetoric, critiquing Israel aid on Fox, influences Trump’s base, urging U.S. disengagement (Washington Times).

Houthi Ceasefire and Hypersonic Missiles

On May 6, 2025, Trump halted U.S. bombings of Iran-backed Houthis, claiming they “capitulated,” but failed to require them to stop attacking Israel (Washington Times). The Houthis, targeting Red Sea shipping and Israel, likely use hypersonic missiles supplied by Iran, with speculation of Chinese technology transfers given Beijing’s ties to Tehran (Israel National News, May 7). This ceasefire exposes Israel, with X posts decrying: “Trump’s Houthi deal empowers Iran’s proxies” (@Juliana_Ahavah, May 7). It strengthens Hamas in Gaza, a by-product of Iran’s unchecked influence (Newsweek, January 12).

Global Tensions: China, Russia, and CCP Allies

As Chinese President Xi Jinping aligns with Vladimir Putin, bolstering Iran through CCP-backed conflicts, Trump’s potential restraint of Israel against Iran and Hamas aligns U.S. policy with actors like Qatar and Iran, undermining Israel’s security. Xi’s May 6, 2025, meeting with Putin coincides with Pakistan’s clashes with India and North Korea’s missile launches into the Sea of Japan on May 5, 2025 (Wall Street Journal). China’s potential role in Houthi missile supplies underscores its support for Iran (Israel National News). Trump’s Gulf focus ignores these threats, leaving Israel to counter Iran’s nuclear ambitions and proxies alone.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, speaks alongside US President Donald Trump during a meeting in the
Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on April 7, 2025. (Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images via Times of Israel)

Restraining Israel: A Double Challenge

Mark Levin pays homage to CPAC Christians for opposing Islamo-Marxist antiZionism, & anti-Americanism

The 2024 Conservative Political Action Committee ("CPAC") Convention presented a session radio and Fox News Channel broadcaster, Mark Levin, accompanied by his wife, Julie Strauss-Levin, with a standing ovation.

 
Mr. Levin expressed his gratitude towards Christians for rejecting what he perceives as the Democratic Party's anti-Judeo-Christian bigotry and Islamo-Marxist ideology. He criticized Democrats for their perceived weakness towards Iran and Hamas, and accused them of being anti-Semitic for supporting the creation of a second state for Palestinians at the expense of Jewish people.

Levin also condemned Palestinian's treatment of the people they kidnapped from an Israeli music festival and defended the Israeli Defense Forces, accusing them of not condoning such acts. He emphasized the importance of the Judeo-Christian belief system in founding the United States and encouraged people to remember the sacrifices made by American soldiers, mostly White Christian men, at Arlington Cemetery.

 

 

Mark & Julie Strauss-Levin, Senior Counsel America First Legal Foundation, interview Prof. Jonathan Dekel-Chen, a Connecticut-born son of a Holocaust survivor. Jonathan immigrated to Israel and resided in Kibbutz Nir Oz, inland from the Gaza Strip. The Hebrew University history professor tells the audience about the experience of Hamas-led Palestinians massacre his son Sagui's family's kibbutz and abduct Sagui, who remains in captivity.

 

00:00:00 In this section, Jonathan Dekel-Chen, the son of a Holocaust survivor and former resident of Kibbutz Nir Oz in Israel. Jonathan moved to Israel at the age of 18, inspired by the Zionist dream and the idea of living in a cooperative farm community. He served in the Israeli army and raised his four children on the kibbutz, which was located near the border of Gaza. The kibbutz was a highly productive agricultural farm and a paradise, as described by Jonathan. However, on October 7, 1985, while Jonathan was in the United States for a wedding, his kibbutz was attacked by terrorists from Hamas, who kidnapped his two adult children. Jonathan was woken up early by a friend who had seen the news and was devastated by the betrayal of the terrorist organization that had infiltrated their peaceful community.

00:05:00 In this section, Jonathan recounts the harrowing experience of a Hamas terrorist attack during which his ex-wife and their children were kidnapped. The chaos began around 12:30 PM on a day when border tensions were high. His grown son, Sagui, who was also part of the security team, noticed that civilian first responders were no longer responding to calls for help. Jonathan was unable to contact his son and his son's wife, who were seven months pregnant with two young girls. His ex-wife, one of two women from the kibbutz who managed to escape captivity, was taken away with a group of women and children on a stolen tractor. An Israeli Apache helicopter intervened, but friendly fire resulted in the death of a friend.

Jonathan's son, Sagui, had woken up early that morning to work on a pet project and saw a large group of well-armed Hamas terrorists moving through the kibbutz. For two hours, the residents defended their community against the attackers, but they were eventually overwhelmed. Sagi had gone back to his home to ensure his family's safety and was taken captive around 9:30 AM on October 7th. He has not been heard from since.

00:10:00 In this section, Jonathan Israel, shares the harrowing experience of his daughter Avital, experience of the kidnapping of her husband, and other community members by Palestinian Muslim abductors. While some hostages were discovered alive in tunnels under Gaza in late November, 80 people were taken captive, and 40 were murdered on October 7th. Avital's home was destroyed, and her community was looted and burned. She gave birth to a healthy baby girl during this time, but her husband was not present. Jonathan lost 34 members of his extended family on October 7. He said that day, Hamas won, but Israel and the rest of the world cannot let Hamas win in the long term

 

Julie urges everyone to visit the website www.BringThemHome.com to learn how they can help and support the families of the hostages. Jonathan expresses his concern that the Israeli government is not prioritizing the lives of the hostages as much as they should and emphasizes the importance of both securing their release and destroying Hamas. .

Inhibited against challenging Islamo-Marxism since 9/11/2001, how will westerners rescue their societies from its growth?

London's Metropolitan Police are reporting a significant surge in antisemitic and anti-Islamic hate crimes in the city since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict. 

In a statement Friday, they said that from October 1 to 18 the department saw 218 antisemitic offenses compared to 15 in the same period last year, while Islamophobic offenses jumped from 42 to 101, representing increases of 1,353 percent and 140 percent respectively. The department said the crimes include abuse directed at individuals or groups in person or online, racially or religiously motivated criminal damage and other offenses. 

Antisemitic Hate Speech Calling for Jewish Deaths in Several UK Mosques Amid Israel-Hamas.  

A TalkTV investigation has unearthed footage of hate preachers in several UK mosques calling for Jewish people to be killed. Antisemitic hate preaching has been suspected in Britain's mosques in the context of Israel's war on Hamas. 

The TalkTV investigation found footage of preachers in several mosques calling for Jews to be killed and Israel to be destroyed. These preachers have been filmed as they curse the Jews and the children of Israel in Arabic, and call upon Allah to grant them victory over their enemies. The language used is considered extremist and hateful, with some preachers calling for the destruction of homes, the dispersion of enemies, and the indiscriminate killing of civilians. 

It is noted that this rhetoric is similar to that of Abu Hamza, a known hate preacher who was deported from the UK. Jewish groups in the UK have expressed concern that some of the preaching is hate speech that could lead to hate crimes, extremism, and terrorism. Some have called for prosecutions, while others believe that the police are not doing enough. The Charities Commission is also examining the videos as some of the mosques are linked to registered charities hoping to gather evidence of wrongdoing.

Willful blindness 22-years past September 11th. 

Robert Spencer discusses the stance of Islam on dealing with the non-Muslim world. He argues that Islam is a supremacist, authoritarian, violent, and expansionist religion, with efforts always made to spread and extend its hegemony over non-Muslim political entities. Islamic groups in the United States have been successful in making people afraid to criticize Islam, even in regard to Jihad violence and Sharia expansionism. 

Mr. Spencer also mentions that there is a concerted effort by Islamic groups to bring Sharia prohibition on criticism of Islam to the West, and the left, which is censorious itself, eagerly supports this. He emphasizes the need for criticism and scrutiny of belief systems, but not to victimize innocent individuals. 

Mr. Spencer believes that the coordination between Islamic advocacy groups and leftist allies in silencing criticism of Islam is not a coincidence, as both groups have a vested interest in curtailing freedom of speech.  He concludes by stating that Sharia applies not just to Muslims, but also to non-Muslims, citing an example of Christians in Egypt who were brutally murdered for selling alcohol, which is not illegal in Christianity but is under Islamic law.

 

"Son of Hamas Co-Founder Denounces Group at UN, Exposes 'Savage' Indoctrination of Palestinian Kids."

Son of co-founder of Hamas, Mosab Hassan Yousef, denounces the group and its indoctrination of Palestinian children. Hamas's strategy of using human shields in Gaza led to the deaths of many innocent children, which the speaker calls a "crime that cannot be forgiven." He emphasizes that Israel's response to Hamas was necessary and that the defeat of Hamas in Gaza is necessary for global security to prevent the spread of terrorism. He calls on the international community to take action to bring an end to the violence in Gaza and prevent the spread of violence and terrorism.

 

Was the airplane of Israel's new chief of the disputed territories sabotaged?

Brig. Gen. Munir Amar's (left) plane crashes 7-weeks into governing Territories

Israeli Brigadier General Munir Amar, chief of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Unit (COGAT), was killed on Friday when the light plane he piloted crashed into a cliff about fifteen minutes after takeoff, Israeli news site Ynet reported. Gen. Amar, the only person aboard, had only assumed the role from a Jewish Israeli 7-weeks ago.

COGAT's website describes the unit as "responsible for implementing the government's policy in Judea and Samaria and vis-à-vis the Gaza Strip" and "constitutes the civilian authority for residential zoning and infrastructure and is responsible for addressing the needs of Israeli settlements in the West Bank."

Amar's predecessor, Brig. Gen. David Menachem, had lead constant efforts to improve and develop the economy and infrastructure of Judea and Samaria, assist the local population, and maintain Israel's security.

Examples include introducing initiatives to develop the agriculture, hi-tech and export sectors in Judea and Samaria; increasing the number of Palestinian workers in Israel; 
facilitating the entrance of Palestinian men over 55 and women over 50 into Israel without requiring a permit; and generally increasing cooperation between Israel and the Palestinians.


Before assuming his COGAT position on February 3rd, Amar served as commander of the IDF's Arab-speaking Sword Battalion, commander of the Hermon Brigade, and commander of the Home Front Command's Northern District.

Amar, 47, was a married father of three and a resident of the Druze town of Julis in the western Galilee, Israeli news site Walla reported.

Source: i24 News 25 March 2016