Last week, UNESCO passed its already infamous resolution about the Temple Mount that makes no mention of any historical or present-day Jewish connection to the site. Voting in favor were Muslim enemies and allies of Israel—Algeria, Lebanon, Iran, Egypt, and Morocco—while France and Spain abstained. In response, Israel cut ties with the organization. The unwillingness of the two Western countries to contest the most wildly false Muslim claims is both regrettable and typical, writes Ephraim Herrera:

A Muslim country’s recognition of the Jewish people’s right to any [of the biblical holy] places is considered by Islam to be heresy. . . . Any Israeli effort to sway the Muslim vote, including among countries with which it has ties, is destined to fail.

A month ago, the French newspaper Le Figaro published an interview with a researcher who analyzes seventh-grade textbooks, as this is the grade in which the French curriculum teaches about Islam. His main conclusion was that [the books] “swept under the rug anything that could interfere with conflict-free teaching of the history of Islamic culture, in a manner bordering on servility—all in the service of dogmatic praise for a shared life.” The researcher raised examples not only of ignored facts, but also of factual distortions.

The reason behind this sort of behavior on the part of Western countries is fear, whether of conflict with their own Muslim communities or of conflict with the Muslim countries that buy tens of millions of dollars of their products. . . . Israel must refuse to be the scapegoat for the West’s obsequiousness. The decision to cut ties with UNESCO is an important step in that direction.

For some time, opponents of U.S support for Israel have been urging the White House to end the war in Gaza, or simply calling for a ceasefire. Douglas Feith and Lewis Libby consider what such a result would actually entail:

Ending the war immediately would allow Hamas to survive and retain military and governing power. Leaving it in the area containing the Sinai-Gaza smuggling routes would ensure that Hamas can rearm. This is why Hamas leaders now plead for a ceasefire. A ceasefire will provide some relief for Gazans today, but a prolonged ceasefire will preserve Hamas’s bloody oppression of Gaza and make future wars with Israel inevitable.

For most Gazans, even when there is no hot war, Hamas’s dictatorship is a nightmarish tyranny. Hamas rule features the torture and murder of regime opponents, official corruption, extremist indoctrination of children, and misery for the population in general. Hamas diverts foreign aid and other resources from proper uses; instead of improving life for the mass of the people, it uses the funds to fight against Palestinians and Israelis.

Moreover, a Hamas-affiliated website warned Gazans last month against cooperating with Israel in securing and delivering the truckloads of aid flowing into the Strip. It promised to deal with those who do with “an iron fist.” In other words, if Hamas remains in power, it will begin torturing, imprisoning, or murdering those it deems collaborators the moment the war ends. Thereafter, Hamas will begin planning its next attack on Israel:

Hamas’s goals are to overshadow the Palestinian Authority, win control of the West Bank, and establish Hamas leadership over the Palestinian revolution. Hamas’s ultimate aim is to spark a regional war to obliterate Israel and, as Hamas leaders steadfastly maintain, fulfill a Quranic vision of killing all Jews.

Hamas planned for corpses of Palestinian babies and mothers to serve as the mainspring of its October 7 war plan. Hamas calculated it could survive a war against a superior Israeli force and energize enemies of Israel around the world. The key to both aims was arranging for grievous Palestinian civilian losses. . . . That element of Hamas’s war plan is working impressively.