On Democracies and Death Cults: Israel and the Future of Civilization

by Douglas Murray

What can Western liberal societies do in the face of such movements? What can people who value life do in the face of those who worship death? In April 2024, one of the leaders of Hamas confirmed that three of his four sons had been killed in an air strike in Gaza. All four were also Hamas leaders. Their vehicle was hit at a site near Gaza City. It was reported that four of Haniyeh’s grandchildren were traveling in the same vehicle. Haniyeh’s response to this news was caught live on camera while he was with colleagues in a luxury apartment in Doha, Qatar. To watch his reaction to the news you might think he had just heard of a minor alteration in his schedule. He is not upset, he is not even perturbed. If anything he is joyful. In a statement following the news, he thanked Allah for the “honor” bestowed on him for what he referred to as the “martyrdom of my three sons and some grandchildren.”85 Perhaps it should not be surprising. This was a man who had spent his life extolling the “martyrdom” of Palestinian children. To choose just one example among many, on January 17, 2017, he said, “Children are tools to be used against Israel. We will sacrifice them for the political support of the world.”86 That is, of course, the reaction of a true fanatic, and not the kind who just wants to sacrifice other people’s children, but one who is equally happy to sacrifice his own; someone who sees all Palestinian children as “tools”—including his own. All to use against the Jews. And whi...