The sort of lies and misinformation that impels someone to gun down two young people because they happened to be leaving a Jewish gathering doesn’t just come from YouTube channels, social-media fever swamps, and the New York Times. It also comes from the governments of France, Britain, and Canada, who in a recent joint statement made clear that they “strongly oppose” Israel’s ongoing offensive in Gaza—with various threats attached. Baked into the statement are all sorts of assumptions about the IDF’s conduct of the war that are detached from reality. Worse, writes Richard Kemp, the declaration amounts to

nothing less than a call for Israel to surrender: cease operations, withdraw forces, leave Hamas to rebuild and get ready for another October 7. That is the meaning of their reproachful statement.

Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron, and Mark Carney don’t seem to understand the consequences for their own countries of the survival of Hamas. They each have their ever-growing jihadist problems. Last week alone in Britain, a number of Iranian men were arrested while allegedly plotting terrorist attacks in the UK. An Israeli defeat by Hamas—which is what they are advocating—could only inspire and encourage global jihadists.

Most damning of all, this statement has been welcomed by Hamas itself. Surely even these three amigos can comprehend that that alone means you’re on the wrong side?

But this joint statement is not only ill-judged; it is also extremely dangerous. It strengthens Hamas, it gives them hope at a time when that commodity is ebbing fast. It could lead to them digging in their heels to inflict even greater bloodshed on Israeli soldiers as well as their own people. If these were serious political leaders, they would have confined their threats against an ally at war to the realms of secret diplomacy. But no, they must indulge in public virtue signaling. Appease the Jew-hating mobs that paraded the streets of their capitals only last weekend and damn the consequences.

Yesterday, the Iranian foreign minister flew to Geneva to meet with European diplomats. President Trump, meanwhile, indicated that cease-fire negotiations might soon begin with Iran, which would presumably involve Tehran agreeing to make concessions regarding its nuclear program, while Washington pressures Israel to halt its military activities. According to Israeli media, Iran already began putting out feelers to the U.S. earlier this week. Aviram Bellaishe considers the purpose of these overtures:

The regime’s request to return to negotiations stems from the principle of deception and delay that has guided it for decades. Iran wants to extricate itself from a situation of total destruction of its nuclear facilities. It understands that to save the nuclear program, it must stop at a point that would allow it to return to it in the shortest possible time. So long as the negotiation process leads to halting strikes on its military capabilities and preventing the destruction of the nuclear program, and enables the transfer of enriched uranium to a safe location, it can simultaneously create the two tracks in which it specializes—a false facade of negotiations alongside a hidden nuclear race.