Russian Jewish novelist Vasily Grosman, who was the first journalist to see the Nazi death camp Treblinka, once wrote, “Anti-Semitism is … a mirror for the failings of individuals, social structures and State systems. Tell me what you accuse the Jews of — I’ll tell you what you’re guilty of.” In On Democracies and Death Cults, Douglas Murray’s new book on the stakes and strategy of the conflict that began with the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, Murray notes that this applies neatly to the terrorists, whose leaders accuse Israel of targeting Palestinian children in one breath and in the next say, “Children are tools to be used against Israel. We will sacrifice them for the political support of the world.” 

“Sometimes a flare goes up and you get to see exactly where everyone is standing,” Murray notes. “The morning of October 7, 2023, was just such a moment.” Hamas death squads and other Gazans overwhelmed Israeli border defenses, then looted, raped, and murdered until they were thrown back, dragging about 250 hostages with them. Even before the Israelis had fully repulsed the attack, hundreds of degenerates filled Times Square to cheer on the carnage. Murray photographed one woman there as “she punched the air and screamed with joy.” Others held up signs reading, “By Any Means Necessary” while Israelis were still being tortured and murdered. Copycat celebrations popped up across the West. Shortly thereafter, Murray boarded a plane for Israel.