While world leaders accuse and virtue signal, Israelis toil and deliver

US President Donald Trump has been promoting his 21-point plan for Gaza that seems to satisfy most Arab and Muslim leaders, but there is little recognition that if this plan can be accomplished, it will be thanks to Israel.

Trump’s plan would meet objectives that have wide international support since they are consistent with (and in most cases specifically stated in) a United General Assembly resolution that received the support of 142 countries out of 164 on September 12, 2025:

• A permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
• The demilitarization of Hamas.
• The end of Hamas’ role in governing Gaza.
• The rebuilding of Gaza and its economic recovery.
• The full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
• The release of all hostages.
• A surge in aid to Gazans and its delivery without obstruction.
• A temporary international stabilization force for Gaza.
• No Palestinians being forced to leave Gaza, and return of those who left.
• No Israeli occupation or annexation of Gaza.
• A pathway to Palestinian statehood.

This plan, however, would be pure fantasy if Israel wasn’t doing the arduous and thankless work of slowly destroying Hamas while protecting, sheltering, and feeding Gaza civilians. It would be fantasy because Hamas would never agree to it willingly, and therefore the plan can only succeed if Hamas becomes so weak that they feel that they have no choice but to accept it.

Hamas might still manage to derail the plan, but thanks to Israel, the plan has at least a fighting chance of succeeding.

I have to admit that in May of this year, I was convinced that Hamas essentially won the war. I was of course hoping to be wrong, but I didn’t think that there was much chance of that. With the Israeli forces advancing on Hamas’ last stronghold, Gaza City, I am becoming more optimistic.

So, the world may get what it says it wants, but not thanks to world leaders except for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump himself. It seems that I was also wrong about something else. I was convinced that Trump was demanding a quick end to the war at the expense of Israel, but the opposite has been happening.

While many world leaders, including the leaders of France, the UK, Australia, and Canada have been eager to hand Hamas a moral victory by recognizing a Palestinian state while Hamas still holds Israeli hostages, and while these leaders keep demanding that Israel end the war prematurely, essentially handing Hamas a military victory, Trump has done neither. Trump has provided exactly what Israel needs right now: preventing obstacles against Israel’s ability to destroy Hamas.

But Trump’s plan that the world supports, if it succeeds, will have succeeded at a great cost to Israelis.

One thousand Israeli soldiers and police officers have been killed so far in this Gaza war.

Among the soldiers who have so far survived the war, 9,000 have physical injuries, 7,000 have PTSD or other mental ailments, and 4,000 are suffering both physically and mentally, for a total of 20,000.

But the impact of the war does not end with the soldiers. As Maayan Aviv wrote in March of this year, Israelis at large are experiencing an unprecedent level of trauma as result of the Gaza war. Even Israeli children have not been spared.

While world leaders pander to their antisemitic voters by accusing Israel and engaging in virtue signalling acts such as the recognition of a Palestinian state, Israelis are creating the conditions for a lasting peace in Gaza. Israelis are doing this not because they enjoy doing it or because it’s easy, but because they need to do it.

Many Israelis do not support Netanyahu or his coalition, but even among those, there is widespread support for ensuring that terrorists can no longer use Gaza again to attack Israel. Like every war that Israel has ever fought, this is not a war of choice. It is a war of necessity.

French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, and others who choose to accuse and virtue signal instead of supporting Israel should be ashamed of themselves.