States Are Not Ice Cream: Starmer and the West’s Moral Collapse
In the mid 1980s, two English students traveled to the south of France, following an advertisement claiming they could earn hundreds of pounds selling ice cream on the Riviera beaches. Despite the grand promises and the dream of amassing wealth with minimal effort, the two quickly discovered that it was all hot air. They earned very little money and realized the activity was illegal. One student was arrested by the French police, while the other managed to escape arrest—not before his ice cream stock was confiscated.
The student who was arrested was John Murray, who was released shortly afterward and returned to ordinary life in London. The second was Keir Starmer, today the prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
Forty years later, it seems that the naïve student never really learned the French ice cream lesson. The adventurous and irresponsible streak, the tendency to follow “the lads,” and the urge to “make a quick buck” with minimal effort still guide one of the most powerful people in the so-called Western world. Starmer’s recent recognition of a Palestinian state (just as France, Canada, Portugal, Monaco, Luxembourg, and San Marino) was carried out so poorly and at such a nauseatingly bad time that it is hard to imagine any excuse justifying it.
This statement was almost as harmful to Britain itself as it was to Israel. It did not reflect the British public mood or local desire (as we discovered in a survey published in The Telegraph, claiming that 90% of the population opposed the move), but primarily the Islamic torrent that has taken the global liberal community hostage. In a distorted and sickening attempt to force an end to the war and the release of the hostages, the leaders of these states forgot that they themselves are held hostage by Islamic migrants and Qatari money. Anyone wondering how Starmer can go against most of his people can look at the Shard in London or the Canary Wharf complex, owned by Qatar. You can stroll among the luxury Qatari hotels or the English Olympic village that changed hands, and if a city tour really captures your heart, you can continue to all 4,000 Qatari-owned properties (estimated at £100 billion) scattered across the UK. Starmer did not go against his own citizens; he served his peers and the actual landlords of Britain.
In my view, and as becomes clearer every day, the global tsunami is not only against Israel but against European states and Western powers. It rises in menacing waves of Islamic migration and strikes through oil money funneled into Western culture, nationhood, and education. The iron fists wielded against Israel are trivial compared to the humiliating steel blows that will erode the identity, culture, and national integrity of Britain, France, and Canada. Their moral bankruptcy—reaching its peak with the recognition of a Palestinian state—speaks more to the weakness of their leaders than to anything about us. The free world has been shackled by the chains of radical Islam. And the one paying the price is the last guardian.
Beyond defeatism, it seems that the judgment of someone managing one of Europe’s oldest empires suffers from severe colorblindness. In an article published in Yediot Ahronot, Starmer defended his decision, claiming that “recognition of a Palestinian state is not a reward for the Hamas terrorists.” Only hours later, Hamas itself celebrated the declaration, calling it “a victory for the Palestinian cause and a step toward ending the occupation and establishing a Palestinian capital in Jerusalem.” While Starmer saw his declaration as “an effort for a future of peace and an end to suffering,” the terrorist organization—which does not recognize the right of a Jewish state and still holds 48 Israeli hostages—celebrated in the streets. What the middle eastern eyes see, the Western eyes cannot.
It is unknown whether student Starmer ever even tasted the ice cream he sold on the Riviera. But in terms of statecraft, it seems that Britain is about to eat, with interest, the porridge its leader has cooked. According to a recent Daily Mail report, legal sources believe that the Palestinian state Starmer recognized will demand £2 trillion in compensation from Britain for “lands taken from the Palestinian people” during the British Mandate. This is when gentelmen say “karma is a bitch.”
And yes, the British shame will not cover the diplomatic failure of Netanyahu’s government or Israel’s infuriating silence on the global stage. It will not erase the lack of strategic vision, nor the provincial and narrow-minded behavior of those dragged along by the fringes of Israeli society (who serve as the balance of power in his government). But most importantly: it will not prevent Israelis themselves from conducting self-criticism and engaging in internal political discourse.
Starmer’s declaration is bound to come back around and strike him in return. Britain, France, and their friends in Italy and Spain are likely to find themselves battling the very same forces we are fighting. The events of the past week have made it clear: salvation will not come from the world, and therefore the burden falls on us—to make the decisive, urgent, and complex choices needed to bring our hostages home, to rebuild our state, and to march forward with greater stability and confidence.
