In April 2014, the Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram kidnapped 276 young women aged between 16 and 18 years old. This act of evil sent shockwaves around the world, yet there were no militaries willing or able to stand up to them. Instead, a social media campaign called #BringBackOurGirls was started, with a photo of Michelle Obama holding up a sign becoming the face of this useless display of inaction.
Boko Haram aimed to establish an Islamic caliphate in northern Nigeria, enforcing strict Sharia law and opposing Western education and secular governance. Through aligning itself with terror groups like ISIL and other insurgent militaristic and terrorist actions, this period saw 2.3 million displaced people in Nigeria and the deaths of hundreds of thousands of children. It is reported that Boko Haram still has over 80 hostages that have been held for more than 10 years.
Imagine if the leaders of France, the United Kingdom, and Canada demanded that Nigeria recognize a state run by Boko Haram back in 2016. Yet, in an act of unparalleled moral cowardice and strategic stupidity, these Western democracies have plunged headfirst into a policy that rewards terrorism. These three countries have announced plans to recognize a Palestinian state, a move that not only legitimizes Hamas’s barbaric October 7 massacre but also obliterates any leverage Israel might have had in negotiations.
This decision, made less than two years after Hamas slaughtered over 1,200 innocent Israelis and took hundreds hostage in the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust, is a shameful capitulation to terror. By granting statehood to a Palestinian entity still influenced by a genocidal terror group, these nations have sent a clear message: violence pays, and the victims be damned. To make matters worse, the aftermath of these announcements has seen Hamas double down on its savagery, withdrawing from peace talks and releasing chilling videos showcasing the horrific conditions endured by the remaining hostages. This is a level of Western appeasement that would make Neville Chamberlain blush.
France, under President Emmanuel Macron, has spearheaded this catastrophic policy. Macron declared that France would formally recognize a Palestinian state in September, framing it as a step toward “a just and sustainable peace.” Macron ridiculously claims that Palestinians have a right to self-determination, but also that the Palestinian state cannot be militarized and have Hamas in government. These words are hollow and pathetic. Palestinians, by every metric and data point, have no desire for a two-state side by side with Israel, will not disarm or cease their terrorist activities, and have no compulsion for moderation.
By recognizing a state without ensuring its rejection of terror, Macron has handed Hamas a diplomatic victory, signaling that their atrocities come with no consequences. Worse, this decision undermines the basic principles of negotiation: you don’t give away your strongest cards before talks even begin. France’s actions are not just morally bankrupt; they’re diplomatically illiterate, ensuring that Hamas has no incentive to compromise while Israel is left to fend for itself against emboldened enemies.
The United Kingdom, led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government, has followed France’s lead with equal spinelessness. Starmer announced that the UK would recognize a Palestinian state in September unless Israel meets a series of impossible demands, effectively holding the Jewish state hostage to Hamas’s whims. “We will recognize a Palestinian state as a contribution to a proper peace process, at the moment of maximum impact for the Two State Solution,” Starmer proclaimed, as if dangling statehood over Hamas’s head will somehow inspire them to abandon their charter calling for Israel’s destruction. This conditional recognition is a farce, rewarding Hamas’s refusal to negotiate in good faith and punishing Israel for defending its citizens against rocket attacks and border incursions.
Canada, under its Liberal leadership, has joined this parade of lunacy. The government signaled its intent to recognize a Palestinian state in September, echoing the same tired rhetoric about a “two-state solution” that ignores Hamas’s explicit goal of annihilating Israel. In his statement, Prime Minister Mark Carney said that Canada would recognize a State of Palestine in September 2025 predicated on Palestinians having elections in 2026, which basically means that he is saying to Mahmoud Abbas to tell the West what they want to hear and the West will capitulate. Actions mean nothing, so long as the right words are said. This is truly pathetic.
The consequences of these reckless decisions were immediate and devastating. Within days of the statehood announcements, Hamas abruptly withdrew from ongoing ceasefire and hostage negotiations, citing the West’s recognition as proof they could extract concessions without giving anything in return. This move exposed the absurdity of believing that rewarding terrorists would lead to peace. Worse still, Hamas released a series of propaganda videos showcasing the dire conditions of the remaining hostages—men, women, and children held in dark, filthy cells, some visibly emaciated and bruised. The videos, meant to taunt Israel and its allies, included chilling footage of hostages pleading for their lives while masked Hamas gunmen stood guard. One clip showed Evyatar David holding a shovel in his skeletal hands, being forced to dig his own grave.
Since President Trump has the moral clarity to not go along with the cowardice of the U.K., France, and Canada, the Democratic Party has chosen to mirror this betrayal with its own descent into moral and political decay. In a shocking display of anti-Israel animus, 27 Senate Democrats voted in favor of resolutions to halt all arms sales to Israel, including over $675 million in critical weapons needed to combat Hamas and other threats. Led by figures like Bernie Sanders, this bloc sought to cripple Israel’s ability to defend itself at a time when Hamas still holds hostages and launches attacks from Gaza. The vote was a slap in the face to an ally fighting for its survival, revealing the depths to which the Democratic Party has sunk.
Leaderless and without morals, the Democratic Party is lost, irrevocably tethered to an anti-Semitic base that views Israel as an oppressor and Hamas as freedom fighters. This dependency on radical voters—many of whom openly cheer Palestinian militancy while demonizing Jews—has rendered the Democrats incapable of recovery. Polling shows that young people favor the Palestinian cause over the Israeli one, and Democrats are trying to win power back, regardless of how it is achieved.
The Democrats’ obsession with being a “big tent party” has led them to embrace the most toxic elements of their coalition. They’ve opened their arms to Jew-haters who chant “from the river to the sea,” a thinly veiled call for Israel’s destruction, and communists who see the Jewish state as a capitalist outpost to be eradicated. This isn’t inclusion; it’s insanity. By welcoming these extremists, the Democrats have abandoned any pretense of moral clarity, choosing instead to pander to a fringe that equates self-defense with genocide. The result is a party fractured beyond repair, where anti-Semitic progressives and far-left ideologues hold sway, dictating policies that undermine national security and alienate allies.
Compare this to the Republican Party’s transformation in 2016, when it became a true big tent under Donald Trump. The GOP expanded its base to include working-class voters, minorities, and conservatives of all backgrounds, uniting them around a platform of patriotism and strength. Despite relentless media narratives accusing Trump of embracing far-right fanatics and anti-Semites, the Republicans firmly rejected those elements. White supremacists and Jew-haters were denounced and marginalized, proving that a broad coalition doesn’t have to sacrifice principles. Whenever Trump even flirted with these elements, he was thoroughly denounced by his own Party and clarifications were issued. The media even had to invent anti-Semitic narratives in an attempt to paint Trump as one, despite being the best President for the Jewish people in American history.
In these dark times, the only moral clarity comes from the Republican Party, which has stood unwaveringly with Israel against Hamas’s barbarism. President Donald Trump has been unequivocal in his stance: Hamas must be destroyed. “Finish the job,” Trump urged Israel, emphasizing that no deal is possible with terrorists who “want to die.” He warned Hamas leaders that “death awaits” if they fail to release the hostages, vowing they would be “hunted down” without mercy. This is the kind of leadership the moment demands—clear, uncompromising, and unafraid to call evil by its name.
House Speaker Mike Johnson further demonstrated this resolve by visiting Israel in June and again this week, addressing the Knesset and touring the sites of the October 7 massacre. His visit to the historic King David Hotel in Yerushalayim, a symbol of resilience, underscored the Republican commitment to Israel’s survival. “We stand with Israel not just in words but in action,” Johnson declared, pledging unwavering support against those who seek to destroy the Jewish state.
The West’s rush to recognize a Palestinian state is a betrayal of epic proportions, rewarding Hamas’s savagery while abandoning Israel to face an emboldened enemy. The chilling hostage videos and Hamas’s withdrawal from talks are direct results of this cowardice, proving that appeasement only fuels terror. Only through strong and moral leadership can this war truly end in a way that will prevent future terror, not increase it.
Moshe Hill is a political analyst and columnist. His work can be found at www.aHillwithaView.com and on X at @HillWithView.