- How it’s taken months and their still working on identifying the victims in Israel from Oct. 7th attack. And Hamas has the ability to do it immediately.
- Hama’s fault for casualties
- Example:
- Israeli attack on Rafah tent camp kills 45, prompts international outcry
- What actually happened is Hamas fired rocketsBad Planning and Intel: How Israel Struck Crowded Rafah Refugee Camp, Killing Dozens - National Security & Cyber - Haaretz.com
- Gaza war: Dozens reported killed in Israeli strike on Rafah
- Hours earlier, Hamas had fired eight rockets from Rafah towards Tel Aviv - the first long-range attacks on the central Israeli city since January.
- Example:
- Michelle Obama’s hashtag quest to rescue Nigerian girls - BBC News
- A lot of people don’t mean to support or be evil
- Sense that Europeans are bowing to the Islamic immigrants
- “A man’s idea of leadership is to call himself a leader”
- America Alone
- Absence of American Leadership
- America didn’t put their food down on Iran
- World needs a strong America
- Isolationist Republicans
- Want nothing to do with the world and want to be the dominate power in the World
- Others will step in
- Russia, China, Iran have stepped in everywhere
- What happens if Americans just want to sit out the World?
- Do the students on American campuses realize that whilst they are being expensively educated into idiocy and uselessness, for each of them there’s a dozen students in China working their socks off to get a lifestyle that these kids in America seem to think is their birthright. It aint their birthright. It’s not inevitable. They only have these rights because better men than them fought for them.
- Military doctrine used to be US military should be able to fight in two major theaters at the same time
- Mattis during Trump admin realized US couldn’t do that: Its now one major and one minor
- Three Theaters
- China and Taiwan
- Iran and Israel
- Ukraine and Russia
- Challenge of this Century:
- Billions of people don’t have the Western lifestyle and advantages. Come from corrupt and violent societies and want to live in the Western countries. Should we say no?
- Israel thought that their younger generation was a bit “weaker” — then they realized that wasn’t true. They stepped up.
- Life isn’t just given to you. You have to fight for it. If you want to live a good life, either you fight for it or you expect someone else to fight for it.
- The West is going to have get serious very fast.
- Age of grievance is over
- Age of heroism and courage is needed
Uncommon Knowledge with Douglas Murray
Peter Robinson: Welcome to Uncommon Knowledge, filming today in Fiesole, Italy. I’m Peter Robinson. Educated at Eton and Maldon College, Oxford, Douglas Murray is a journalist based in New York. His books include the bestsellers, The Strange Death of Europe and The Madness of Crowds. Earlier this year, he spent a month in Ukraine and six months in Israel. Douglas, thank you for joining me.
Douglas Murray: Pleasure to be with you.
Peter Robinson: Six months in Israel, let’s begin there. What surprised you most?
Douglas Murray: Two things stand out. I got to Israel as soon as I could after the atrocities of the 7th of October and spent the next six months there. The level of depravity from the Hamas terrorists shocked me, despite my extensive experience covering conflicts. On the 7th of October, 1,200 people were murdered, and more than 300 were taken hostage into Gaza. The terrorists’ pride in their actions was striking. They broadcast and GoPro videoed much of what they did. Their jubilation in carrying out atrocities was horrifying.
Peter Robinson: How many died? Remind me.
Douglas Murray: 1,200 people were murdered on the day, and more than 300 were taken hostage into Gaza. The terrorists not only committed atrocities but were proud of them. They broadcast and GoPro videoed much of what they did. There were countless stories of brutality, such as a young terrorist calling his parents to boast about killing ten Jews.
Peter Robinson: What else stood out to you?
Douglas Murray: The remarkable response of the Israeli public. Israel isn’t like Britain or America; its threats are awfully close. The first responders, the people caught up in it on the day, were not just victims but extraordinary heroes. Many dropped everything, drove south, picked up some guns, and fought for the next 48 hours. There were also Muslim doctors and Druze men who showed immense bravery.
Peter Robinson: You’ve answered the question about the moral calculus over and over again, but I must ask because it is a mandatory question. If the Israelis lost 1,200, what is the number at which they may not pursue the war any further?
Douglas Murray: I refute the idea that a war started by an enemy like Hamas can only be responded to a certain level of casualty. Britain or America has never been expected to abide by such a standard. Only Israel seems to be expected to act by this strange standard of proportionality. Most of the international media rely on Hamas figures, which are unreliable.
Peter Robinson: Why is the reporting so thin to biased to nonexistent?
Douglas Murray: There are only two ways to be in Gaza: embedded with the IDF or with Hamas’s permission. Western media rely on Gazan journalists who are operating under Hamas restrictions or are Hamas supporters. This leads to the spread of unreliable figures and biased reporting. For example, an Islamic Jihad rocket that landed in the Shifa compound was initially reported as an Israeli attack.
Peter Robinson: Let’s talk about American campuses. We had a congressional hearing with the president of Harvard, the president of Penn, and the president of MIT. All three refused to condemn advocating genocide. What’s going on?
Douglas Murray: The people currently at encampments in support of Hamas are supporting evil. Even those who previously championed causes like “Believe All Women” have now shown selective outrage, ignoring atrocities against Jewish women. They support Hamas, an organization committed to the destruction of Israel and Jews.
Peter Robinson: How do you explain the intellectual progression from anti-Vietnam War protests to pro-Hamas sentiments on campuses?
Douglas Murray: A lot of these people believe their job is to educate students into becoming radicals. Many faculty members have nothing to add and teach grievance studies. These students are narcissists of the worst kind because they are not just narcissists but ignoramuses who think their opinions should alter war policies.
Peter Robinson: What about Europe? You’ve spent time in Ukraine. Should Ukraine cut the best deal it can now, like South Korea?
Douglas Murray: It’s not for me to advise Ukraine, but they understand better than either of us that any settlement may not be agreed to for long. Vladimir Putin has shown a willingness to invade and occupy regions, and we don’t know how much land he ultimately wants. The Moldovans and Baltic states are very agitated, fearing they could be next.
Peter Robinson: If Europe stood up for Ukraine and said, that’s it, Vladimir, that’s it, would he have no choice but to stop?
Douglas Murray: Europe hasn’t stepped up enough. There’s a lack of seriousness in Europe about the threat from Russia. Countries like Germany and France need to show half the seriousness that the Poles and Baltic states have demonstrated.
Peter Robinson: Let’s talk about immigration. Europe is depopulating rapidly, and illegal migration rises. What is your take?
Douglas Murray: Europe faces a demographic crisis with a rapidly aging population and rising illegal migration. By 2050, Africa’s population is projected to rise by 1 billion people. Elite European opinion seems to have surrendered to this reality, often downplaying the negative consequences of uncontrolled immigration.
Peter Robinson: What about Britain?
Douglas Murray: Britain has had 14 years of a Tory government, yet immigration figures are higher than ever. The Conservative Party has made a mess of government, and the Labour Party is no better. The intellectual and moral decline in British politics is stark.
Peter Robinson: What about the United States?
Douglas Murray: The world needs a strong America. The current administration has made some strong moves, but neither Vladimir Putin nor the mullahs in Tehran truly fear Joe Biden. The absence of decisive American leadership has allowed Russia, Iran, and China to step in everywhere.
Peter Robinson: What advice would you give to American voters as we approach the presidential election?
Douglas Murray: I don’t like advising people in countries I don’t have a vote in, but America must decide whether it’s serious about its role in the world. The rhetoric about securing the southern border before looking after other countries’ borders is a distraction. It’s a lack of will, not resources, that is the problem.
Peter Robinson: How does one lead a good life in 2024?
Douglas Murray: By leading what was regarded as a good life until yesterday. Life isn’t just given to you; it’s something you have to fight for. People in America, Europe, and Britain need to get serious fast because something significant is going to happen that will bring the kind of reality seen in Israel on the 7th to the West. We should prepare for that and encourage an age of heroism and courage.
Peter Robinson: Douglas Murray, thank you.
Douglas Murray: Thank you.
Peter Robinson: For Uncommon Knowledge, the Hoover Institution, and Fox Nation, shooting today from Fiesole, Italy, I’m Peter Robinson.